BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 14. Iran's gold reserves are estimated to be around 800 tons, a report from the Research Center of the Iranian Parliament said, Trend reports.
The report states that Iran ranks 18th in the world in terms of gold reserves. In addition, Iran produced 14 tons of gold during the past Iranian year (from March 21, 2023 through March 19, 2024), accounting for around 0.4 percent of global gold production.
Currently, there are 63 licenses issued for mineral extraction from gold mines across 12 provinces in Iran, including Razavi Khorasan, East Azerbaijan, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Isfahan, Yazd, Zanjan, West Azerbaijan, Semnan, Kurdistan, Kerman, and Central Iran. The highest gold reserves are located in South Khorasan, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan.
Iran’s major gold mines include:
Zarshuran Gold Mine in West Azerbaijan's Tekab district, which began operations in 2010, has an annual gold production capacity of 3 tons. The mine's confirmed reserves are 4 million tons of gold ore with an average of 5.8 grams of gold per ton, while the estimated reserves are 30 million tons, with 5 grams per ton. The mine is operated by the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO).
The Sariguni Gold Mine in Kurdistan’s Qorve district, operational since 2015, produced 3.2 tons of gold in 2018. The mine holds 70 million tons of gold ore with an average of 1.73 grams of gold per ton. It is operated by the Zarkuh Company, with a Kazakh investor holding a 70 percent stake.
Aghdara Gold Mine in West Azerbaijan, which has been operational since 2004, holds more than 5 million tons of confirmed gold reserves with an average of 1.5 grams per ton. The mine produces around 700 kilograms of gold annually.