Iran’s Proven Iron Ore Reserves Surpass 428 Million Tons
The latest statistics released by Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade show that the country's proven iron ore exploration reserves reached 428,567,240 tons in the Iranian year 1403 (ended March 2025), with more than 90% concentrated in the three provinces of Kurdistan, Yazd, and Razavi Khorasan.
Iron ore is the primary raw material for steel production and one of the world’s most important strategic minerals, playing a decisive role in the development of the steel industry, infrastructure projects, and economic growth. With its considerable iron ore reserves, Iran is regarded as one of the countries with strong potential for developing the steel value chain.
The latest performance indicators for the Seventh National Development Plan, published by the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade regarding proven iron ore exploration reserves for the year 1403, indicate that the country’s total proven reserves of this mineral have reached 428,567,240 tons. The data also show that the majority of these reserves are concentrated in a limited number of mining provinces.
According to the statistics, Kurdistan Province, with 197,204,014 tons, holds the largest share of the country’s proven iron ore exploration reserves, accounting for approximately 46% of the total identified reserves. This makes Kurdistan the country’s leading hub for iron ore reserves.
Following Kurdistan, Yazd Province ranks second with 150,554,625 tons, representing approximately 35% of the total reserves. Razavi Khorasan Province ranks third with 29,155,200 tons, accounting for around 6.8% of the country’s total proven reserves.
Meanwhile, Hamedan Province ranks fourth with 28,548,500 tons, representing nearly 6.7% of the total reserves, while Hormozgan Province ranks fifth with 9,603,427 tons, equivalent to approximately 2.2% of the country’s total reserves.
Share of Other Provinces in Proven Iron Ore Reserves
While the five provinces mentioned above account for more than 96% of Iran’s total proven iron ore exploration reserves, the reserve volumes in the remaining provinces are significantly lower. Zanjan Province has 6,317,622 tons, Fars Province 6,209,852 tons, South Khorasan Province 453,000 tons, Sistan and Baluchestan Province 288,000 tons, Isfahan Province 130,000 tons, Kerman Province 95,000 tons, and East Azerbaijan Province 8,000 tons. This considerable disparity indicates that, like many other mineral resources, Iran’s proven iron ore reserves are concentrated in a limited number of provinces with high mining potential.
It is worth noting that these statistics, recently published by the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, represent the latest official data on the country’s proven iron ore exploration reserves and cover the end of the year 1403. The figures show that the geographical distribution of these reserves remains limited to a small number of mining provinces, while 20 provinces across the country still have no registered proven iron ore exploration reserves.