TEHRAN- Annual crude steel production in Iran is planned to reach 18.5 million tons by the end of current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2017), Deputy Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Jafar Sarqini told IRNA on Monday.

Iran’s crude steel output stood at 16.708 million tons in the past calendar year and at 16.805 million tons in its preceding year.

The country aims to increase total output to 55 million tons and export between 20 and 25 million tons of steel annually by the end of its 1404 (March 2025-March 2026) Outlook Plan.

According to the Head of Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) Mehdi Karbasian, domestic steel industry has reached 50 percent of the planned goals that it has been expected to reach based on the mentioned outlook plan.

As a major steel producer in the region, Iran boosted its steel mills across the country in recent years, as central Isfahan and southwestern Khuzestan provinces remain the major steel producers.

According to the World Steel Association, Iran produced 17.89 million tons of crude steel in 2016, registering an 11-percent growth compared to the figure in 2015.

MA/MG