Iran's steel exports surpass 305 million USD

Iran's steel exports have surpassed 305 million U.S. dollars in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year starting from March 21, 2011, the local satellite Press TV reported Monday. According to the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), the figure shows a 55-percent growth over the corresponding figure last year, said the report. Warm products and round bar as Iran's two major steel export items earned 196 million dollars and 53 million dollars respectively for the country. According to the official reports, Iran produced over 8.768 million tons of crude steel in the first eight months of the year 2011, said Press TV. As a major steel producer in the region, Iran has boosted its steel mills to different parts of the country in recent years, with central Isfahan and southwestern Khouzestan provinces remaining major steel producers in the country. According to local media, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in May that Iran's annual steel production capacity is 19 million tons, and the country has made plans for the figure to reach 42 million tons a year.