Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade (MIMT) said in a report published on Sunday that exports to China of major metals had reached a total of $1.568 billion in value terms between late March and late October this year, a surge of 150 percent compared to the same period in 2018.

It said the top items on the list of exports to China included iron ore and concentrates on $673 million, copper cathode on $408 million, steel ingot on $207 million, copper ore and concentrates on $127 million and zinc ingot on $57 million.

The report said that the total value of exports of metals and mining products from Iran to various countries in the seven-month period ending on October 22, 2019, had stood at $4.631 billion, an increase of 6.16 percent year-on-year.

Iraq trailed China in the list of Iran’s major export destinations followed by Indonesia, Thailand, and Turkey, said the MIMT, adding that countries like Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan and Ghana had imported more than $100 million worth of Iranian metals and mining products over the seven-month period.

The value of shipments to Indonesia and Pakistan saw significant increases of 135 and 396 percent, respectively, while Turkey imported 13 percent more metals from Iran over the period, said the report.

The data are the latest to come from a series of reports suggesting that Iran’s trade of metals is thriving despite a series of American sanctions that have specifically targeted the metals and mining sector since earlier this year.

The bans on Iran’s trade of metals were enacted in May, exactly a year after the United States withdrew from a major international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and began imposing various economic sanctions on the country.

Experts believe the sanctions have largely failed to halt Iran’s lucrative business of metals as it has become increasingly difficult for the US to identify and target the shipments that are mostly exported via the third countries.

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Addressing an open session of Majlis, Masoud Pezeshkian said, “This is very important to pay due attention to scientists and science-based companies.”

“If we are to resist against the U.S. and its sanctions, we have to be trusting on our talents. If we do trust them and if provide required support for them, neither the U.S. nor Europe nor any other power will be able to pin down us,” noted Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon who served as health minister at the Khatami administration.

Touching upon knowledge-based companies’ problems, he said, “We have had a unique point of view and political commitment to two key issues of (peaceful) nuclear technology and (deterrent) missile program and have managed to have a say powerfully. Our policy enabled us to go forward.”

The senior pro-reform lawmaker went on to say that “senior officials should realize” that scientists including the talented youth can help advance the country.

He added, “If they have any plan to settle problems (of the knowledge-based companies and institutions) they should submit it to the Majlis which is fully prepared to cooperate with them.”

Pezeshkian added, “The only way to save the country is resorting to science.”

In mid-October, Vice-President for Scientific and Technological Affairs Sorena Sattari announced that knowledge-based companies were increasing at a swift pace despite the sanctions imposed on the country.

“As the knowledge-based firms are developing, increasing their production capacity is on our agenda, and the government will support them,” Sattari said during a visit to the knowledge-based companies in Alborz Industrial City of Qazvin.

The vice president visited different sections of Gelatin Halal Pharmaceutical Technology Company, which used state-of-the-art technologies as the only food and drug gelatin company to produce powdered and granular from fresh bones of cows.

Gelatin is one of the most important and strategic products used in various industries, including the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry (dairy, beverages, chocolate, and confectionery), military and paper with no substitute.

Gelatin Halal Company is also registered as a knowledge-based company, and the unit with a capacity of 1500 tons per year, currently operates at its one-third capacity.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian steelmakers made 21.52 million tons of crude steel output during the first 10 months of 2019, marking a 6.2-percent increase compared to corresponding figure of 2018, which was 20.26 million tons.

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