The head of Iran’s House of Mining says that a 13% growth target for the country’s mining sector under the seventh development plan is not achievable due to insufficient investment, financing hurdles, weak government support policies, and infrastructure challenges.
Speaking at a meeting of mining sector stakeholders on Tuesday, Mohammadreza Bahraman, said, “Under current conditions, achieving the 13 percent growth goal is simply impossible.”
Bahraman emphasized that 65% of employment in the mining sector is concentrated in small and medium-sized mines, calling for targeted support measures for these operators.
“It is time for real action and bold decisions,” he said, outlining three urgent strategies to overcome the crisis facing the sector:
1. Redefining government-private sector relations: Bahraman called for “genuine delegation of authority, not symbolic gestures,” urging the government to abandon a security-focused, controlling approach and treat industry associations as development partners.
2. Active and strategic economic diplomacy: He stressed the need to use diplomatic tools to resolve export bottlenecks, improve transportation and technology transfer, and attract investment. Mining diplomacy, he said, should become a standalone program within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade.
3. Structural economic reform and decentralization: Bahraman warned that without shifting away from centralized and bureaucratic economic management, meaningful transformation would remain out of reach. “Provinces and the private sector must have decision-making power, not merely execute central plans,” he added.
He concluded by describing mining as a potential driver of Iran’s economy. “But this engine won’t start without the fuel of trust,” he said.