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`Western waste of time' now making big inroads into Iran

Golf never has been very popular in Iran. Even during the days of the shah, there was a single 18-hole course in Tehran: The Imperial Country Club.

And after the 1979 Islamic revolution, golf was derided as a peculiar western waste of time. The embattled Iranian duffer's options dwindled as the Tehran course sprouted weeds and had five holes expropriated by the Revolutionary Guards.

But now golf is making inroads in the Islamic Republic. Two new courses are under development on this coral island just off Iran's Persian Gulf coast, the first in more than 30 years.

A US$2.2 billion golf resort, dubbed The Flower of The East, is under development by an Iranian businessman based in Germany, and backed by German and Swiss investors.

The investors believe they'll have little trouble attracting players -- and buyers of luxury homes -- among the 1.1 million tourists who visit Kish each year. They say the rigors of operating in Iran's isolation are outweighed by Kish's attractions: Fine white beaches, and no taxes or restrictions on sending home profits.

But construction has been slowed by the nuclear dispute between Iran and the West. If the UN imposes sanctions, developers fear the course and surrounding resort could be delayed -- or scuttled.

Ingolf Burstedde, the German engineer overseeing the development, says the German government appears to be withholding normal insurance guarantees to German contractors and architects waiting to build the resort.

"Yes, we're afraid," Burstedde said in his Kish office. "Sanctions would cause a delay, at least. Maybe we'd stop work for a while."
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