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Minister says industrial recovery underway
Iran’s Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Mohammad Atabak said on Sunday that reconstruction of industrial units damaged during recent US-Israeli war was progressing rapidly, with output on an upward trajectory.
Speaking in a virtual parliamentary session, Atabak said that despite wartime damage to some facilities, restoration efforts were proceeding at pace, ISNA reported.
“Production is now on an upward path, but it is important to note that producer inflation has always been lower than consumer inflation – yet for the first time, producer inflation is now higher than consumer inflation,” Atabak said.
According to assessments cited by the minister, 3,003 industrial units sustained the most severe damage during the 40-day US-Israeli war that began in late February, and have been prioritized for reconstruction based on expert evaluations.
“Isfahan Province, due to its industrial nature, was hit harder than other provinces, and Mobarakeh Steel was among the facilities that suffered damage, which caused public concern,” Atabak said.
“We offered steel on the exchange several times, which helped bring prices down,” he said.
He said that the ministry is planning to rebuild Mobarakeh Steel in line “with the latest global technology.”
He added that several damaged steel units have already been restored and returned to production.
Furnace No. 8 at Mobarakeh Steel, which was damaged during an Israeli attack in April, resumed production on June 9 after repairs.
On the petrochemical sector, Atabak said part of production capacity was lost due to strikes, but more than half of affected units have since returned to operation, and exports from the sector have been banned.
Air strikes over several days hit facilities in Mahshahr, in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, and in Assaluyeh, in the southern province of Bushehr, damaging installations at multiple companies in April. The Tabriz and Marvdasht petrochemical plants were also hit. The National Iranian Petrochemical Company (NIPC) has not yet issued an estimate of the damage, but the export ban points to a sector hit hard by the attacks.