{"id":2484,"date":"2025-12-04T14:35:46","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T11:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bidestansteel.com\/?post_type=news&p=2484"},"modified":"2025-12-04T14:35:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T11:05:46","slug":"irans-foreign-trade-trends-and-the-growing-impact-on-the-steel-industry","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/bidestansteel.com\/en\/news\/irans-foreign-trade-trends-and-the-growing-impact-on-the-steel-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s Foreign Trade Trends and the Growing Impact on the Steel Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran\u2019s foreign trade performance in the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21\u2013November 22) reflects both shifting global conditions and evolving domestic industrial dynamics\u2014particularly within the steel industry<\/strong>, which continues to play a critical role in Iran\u2019s export structure.<\/p>\n

According to data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the country\u2019s total foreign trade reached 131.054 million tons<\/strong> valued at $76.537 billion<\/strong> during this period. Although the combined value of exports and imports fell by 9.38 percent year-on-year<\/strong>, the overall trade volume grew by 1.53 percent<\/strong>, signaling notable shifts in market behavior and commodity flows.<\/p>\n

Export and Import Performance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Iran exported 105.231 million tons<\/strong> of goods worth $36.997 billion<\/strong>, showing a modest 1.17 percent increase in volume<\/strong> but a 3.48 percent decrease in value<\/strong> compared to the same timeframe last year.<\/p>\n

Imports totaled 25.823 million tons<\/strong>, valued at $39.540 billion<\/strong>, marking a 3 percent increase in weight<\/strong> alongside a 14.29 percent decline in value<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Rising Raw Material Exports and Implications for the Steel Industry<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A significant portion of export growth appears linked to energy shortages<\/strong> in industrial and mining sectors, which led to reduced domestic production and encouraged a rise in exports of raw materials<\/strong>, especially within the steel value chain<\/strong>.
This includes noticeable increases in iron ore concentrate<\/strong> and pellet<\/strong> shipments.<\/p>\n

Data from the Iranian Steel Association shows that iron ore concentrate exports surged by 82 percent<\/strong> compared to the first seven months of last year. While this supports short-term export revenue, many steel producers are concerned<\/strong> that excessive raw material outflows may tighten domestic supply and limit capacity for downstream steel production<\/strong>, where value-added opportunities are higher.<\/p>\n

This trend has placed the steel industry<\/strong> at the center of discussions about resource management, export policy, and long-term industrial planning.<\/p>\n

Annual Overview of Non-Oil Trade<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the previous Iranian year (ended March 20), Iran exported over 152 million tons<\/strong> of non-oil goods valued at $57.8 billion<\/strong>, representing:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • 10% growth in export volume<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 62% growth in export value<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Imports for the same period reached 39.3 million tons<\/strong> valued at $72.4 billion<\/strong>, up 8.22 percent in value<\/strong>, resulting in a non-oil trade deficit of $14.6 billion<\/strong>.
    A major driver behind this deficit was the import of over $8.0 billion in raw gold bars<\/strong>, accounting for more than 11 percent<\/strong> of total import value.<\/p>\n

    Key Export Commodities and Top Destinations<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Iran\u2019s main non-oil export items included:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Natural gas (top item at $314 per ton)<\/li>\n
    • Liquefied propane and butane<\/li>\n
    • Methanol<\/li>\n
    • Liquefied petroleum gases<\/li>\n
    • Gas condensates<\/li>\n
    • Petroleum bitumen<\/li>\n
    • Urea<\/li>\n
    • Non-alloy iron and steel billets<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Iron or steel bars<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • Polyethylene<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      These data highlight the strategic position of the steel industry<\/strong> not only in raw material exports but also in semi-finished steel products<\/strong>, which remain among Iran\u2019s most significant non-oil export items.<\/p>\n

      The top export destinations were:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • China \u2013 $14.8 billion<\/li>\n
      • Iraq \u2013 $11.9 billion<\/li>\n
      • UAE \u2013 $7.2 billion<\/li>\n
      • Turkey \u2013 $6.8 billion<\/li>\n
      • Pakistan \u2013 $2.4 billion<\/li>\n
      • Afghanistan \u2013 $2.4 billion<\/li>\n
      • India \u2013 $1.9 billion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Together, these seven countries accounted for 82.3 percent<\/strong> of Iran\u2019s non-oil export value.<\/p>\n

        Import Structure and Main Suppliers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        Key imports included essential goods such as corn feed, soybean meal, rice, and sunflower oil, in addition to smartphones, tractors, and auto parts.<\/p>\n

        Iran\u2019s main import sources were:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • UAE \u2013 $21.9 billion<\/li>\n
        • China \u2013 $19.3 billion<\/li>\n
        • Turkey \u2013 $12.4 billion<\/li>\n
        • Germany \u2013 $2.4 billion<\/li>\n
        • India \u2013 $1.7 billion<\/li>\n
        • Hong Kong \u2013 ~$1.4 billion<\/li>\n
        • Russia \u2013 $1.3 billion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          These countries supplied 83.8 percent<\/strong> of total imports.<\/p>\n

          According to IRICA\u2019s deputy head Abolfazl Akbarpour, much of the trade deficit was caused by the steep rise in gold imports alone surpassing $8.0 billion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Iran\u2019s foreign trade performance in the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21\u2013November 22) reflects both shifting global conditions and evolving domestic industrial dynamics\u2014particularly within the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","news_category":[],"class_list":["post-2484","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bidestansteel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bidestansteel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bidestansteel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bidestansteel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bidestansteel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2484"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bidestansteel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bidestansteel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bidestansteel.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_category?post=2484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}