Iran's exports of steel products have witnessed a 176-percent growth in the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20 - July 21) compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

An official of the Iranian Steel Producers Association made the remarks during a press conference on Sunday, IRNA reported.

He stated that there has been a 25-percent reduction in the import of crude steel and other steel products.

The official added that two new steel plants will be established in Iran by the end of the current Iranian calendar year: one in Fars province and another in the north of the country.

The main steel mills of the country are located in Isfahan and Khuzestan provinces.

The major raw steel factories in Iran are the Mobarakeh Steel Mill, with approximately 47 percent of the market share, the Khuzestan Steel Company with about 23 percent, the Isfahan Foundry with about 20 percent, and the Iran National Steel Industries Group with approximately 10 percent of the market share.

Iran is among the 15 major mineral-rich countries of the world and exports its industrial and mineral products to 159 countries, including Iraq, China, the United Arab Emirates, India and Afghanistan.

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News ID 182898