Daily crude steel output at a major Iranian mill has reached an all-time high of 3,887 metric tons, a sign that the industry is working despite being hit by US sanctions.
A report by the Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade said that daily output recorded at Chadormalu factory, located in the vicinity of Ardakan in central Iran, was unprecedented for the steel industry in the country.
The factory's annual output stands at over 1,300,000 tons, data released by Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Co shows.
Reports over the past months have suggested that Iranian steel mills have been churning out record amounts of crude steel while production for finished casting products have also surged to respond to a growing export demand.
The ministry said last month that annual crude steel exports had surged by over a quarter to reach nearly 5.5 million tons at the end of the last calendar year in late March.
Iran has produced a total of 6,750,000 tons of crude steel during the first three months of 2020, which indicates a 13.2% rise compared with last year's corresponding period, the latest report released by the World Steel Association shows.
The country’s March output hit 2,250,000 tons, showing a 14.1% hike as compared to the same period last year.
All these come despite a series of sanctions enacted by the United States in May 2019 against entities and governments involved in trade of metals with in Iran.
Washington enacted the bans hoping they could deprive Iran of the ability to offset the impacts of sanctions imposed on its oil industry.