TEHRAN- Two Japanese companies have announced readiness to provide finance and transfer technology for the implementation of mining projects in Iran.

Satoshi Asawa, the project manager of Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, also known as JOGMEC, said his company has prepared the ground to finance the projects and transfer related technology, the Tasnim News Agency reported on Saturday.

Cooperation with Iran will not be confined to the oil and gas sector, he said, adding that the Japanese company can provide the Iranian side with the technology to extract iron ore from a depth of about 1500 meters.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi Ishikawa, the general manager of the Iron Unit Division in the Engineering Business of Kobe Steel, Ltd., announced his company’s preparedness to finance mining projects in Iran and transfer related technology.

“We are seeking cooperation with the Iranian renowned companies in the field of steel and iron ore. Our cooperation could be in different parts, ranging from financing the projects to selling the products, via establishing a joint company with the Iranian side,” Ishikawa said.

The Japanese officials made the remarks in separate meetings with Mehdi Karbasian, the board of directors’ chairman of Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO).

Karbasian, for his part, said: “We have various models and programs to start cooperation with the Japanese side in the mining projects, from extraction of mines to production of high value-added products.”

The official referred to the development of exploration operation as a top priority of Iran’s mining sector, in which Japanese companies can cooperate.

“Iran plans to achieve the annual steel production of 55 million tons by 2025; in this regard, we seek cooperation from countries with high financial and technological capabilities,” Karbasian said.

The International Organizing Committee of the World Mining Congress has ranked Iran as the 8th country in the world in terms of mineral production. 

The organization has put the country’s total mineral production, including metal and non-metal products, precious stones, as well as oil and gas, at $162 billion in 2013. 

MA/