TEHRAN – Iran revived 1,344 idle industrial units across the country in the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20) as part of efforts to boost production capacity and bring workers back to factories, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade.

Reza Ansari, head of the Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO), told IRNA that the revival of these units marks a key step toward enhancing productivity and reducing unemployment.

Tehran province led the effort with 125 reactivated units, followed by Isfahan with 124. Other provinces including Fars, East Azerbaijan, Khuzestan, Alborz, and Markazi also played a significant role in reactivating dormant factories.

Ansari said the main obstacles facing these units included a shortage of working capital, currency fluctuations, banking and financial issues, difficulties in securing raw materials, energy supply imbalances, and infrastructure problems. In some cases, full ownership transfers from original owners to new investors were necessary to restart operations.

He noted that other challenges—such as shareholder disputes, outdated production lines, legal issues, and bank-mediated ownership transfers—had created serious bottlenecks, but provincial authorities helped return these facilities to operation.

“Provincial industrial parks companies took various steps last year to renovate and modernize economic and industrial units, and this diagnostic and support initiative will continue this year as well,” Ansari said.

He added that in line with the Leader’s designation of this year as the “Year of Investment in Production,” ISIPO is prioritizing infrastructure development—including electricity and water supply—for industrial renewal, while also working to resolve broader issues facing production units.

“The industrial sector holds vast potential for production growth,” Ansari stressed. “But to fully realize it, we need to attract more investment across various industries.”

EF/MA