Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 18 / Trend F.Milad/
Iran produced over 10.3 million tons of crude steel in the first nine months of the current calendar year, ended on December 21, 201. This shows a 13 per cent rise compared with the same period last year.
The country also manufactured around 11.3 million tons of steel products in the aforementioned period of time, up three per cent year on year, the administration's website dolat.ir reported.
Iran will become one of the world's main steel exporters by March 2016, Industry, Mine and Trade Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari said in May 2011.
It plans to reach the production capacity of 42 million tons per year by the end of the Fifth Five-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan (March 2016). According to Mr Ghazanfari, the nation's steel production capacity is currently 19 million tons annually.