A report by the Statistical Center of Iran indicates that the number of operational mines in the country increased by 2.4% in the outgoing Iranian calendar year (ends March 20) compared to the previous year, ISNA reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, about 130 mines were added to the list of active mines during the year.
Currently, there are more than 5,300 active mines in the country, which employ 94,640 workers, the report said. The majority of active mines in the country are located in the three provinces of Kerman, Yazd, and Isfahan, while Kerman, Yazd, and East Azarbaijan account for the highest mineral production in terms of value.
The main obstacle in the way of reviving the inactive mines is the lack of sufficient funds. Mining companies have also been unable to directly import mining machinery and equipment and faced with restrictions in opening letters of credit (LC’s) for banking transactions due to the limitations imposed on Iran’s economy through sanctions (over the country’s nuclear energy program) in the past few years.
