Iran Steel Output Soars to 8 mln Tons in 6 Months
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - World Steel Association said in its latest report that Iran’s steel production in the first six months of 2014 reached 7,982 tons, showing an eight-percent rise compared to the same period last year.
The growth comes despite the US-led sanctions imposed on Iranian industries, preventing Iranian producers from importing needed equipment and raw material.
Back in 2013, the country’s annual steel production also increased 6.6 percent compared to that of 2012, reaching 15.4 21 million tons.
Iran became self-sufficient in steel production in 2009. A year earlier, the Islamic Republic produced 7.5 million tons of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI). The country produces 13 percent of global DRI production and 41 percent of total Middle East DRI production.
The country plans to increase its annual steel output to 55 million tons by the end of the 2015 as part of a sweeping national development plan.
