Mobarakeh Steel furnace resumes production after wartime damage
A production furnace at Iran's Mobarakeh Steel Company that was damaged during an Israeli attack has resumed operations after repairs, Industry, Mine and Trade Minister Mohammad Atabak said on Tuesday.
According to Mehr news agency, Atabak said at the site that Furnace No. 8 at Mobarakeh Steel “today was brought back into production through the efforts of specialists and workers after sustaining damage during the attack.”
"Steel is one of the most influential sectors in the national economy and employment, particularly Mobarakeh Steel, which, as the country's largest steel complex, plays a significant role in Iran's industrial production and development," he said.
Mobarakeh Steel and Khuzestan Steel, which account for nearly half of the country's steel output — were targeted in airstrikes during the US-Israeli war that began in late February, according to industry sources. The attacks in March struck storage silo facilities, the sources said.
He said assessments showed that 3,003 industrial units across the country had sustained damage. Many of them, including the Mobarakeh Steel complex, were key upstream industries whose products serve as raw materials for a large number of companies and downstream manufacturers.
Analysts at Morgan Stanley have estimated that the attacks eliminated between 13 million and 15 million metric tons of Iran's annual steel production capacity. That loss is equivalent to 24% to 27% of the country's total installed capacity and roughly 41% to 47% of Iran's estimated 2025 steel output.
Vahid Yaghoubi, secretary of Iran's Steel Association, also announced last month in a report on the industry's postwar outlook that the country's steel sector was expected to maintain its position as the world's 10th-largest producer despite losing about 30% of its capacity in the attacks.