Iran's Iron Ore Exports in Steady Decline

Iran has been reducing the export of iron ore in the past few years in line with plans to curb the export of unprocessed minerals and encourage the mining industry to create added value, Deputy Minister of Industries, Mining and Trade Dariush Esmaeili said.
“Some 6 million tons of iron ore were exported from Iran during the last fiscal year [ended March 19, 2020], which constituted a meager 6.7% share of the country’s 90-million-ton annual output,” he was quoted as saying by IRIB News.
The country exported less than 500,000 tons of iron ore during the first quarter of the current Iranian year [March 20-June 20], he added.
Data released by the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization show that a total of 17 million tons of iron ore were exported from Iran during the year ending March 2019.
According to Esmaeili, Iran’s iron ore exports stood at around 20 million tons per annum about a decade ago.