Iran's Ministry of Industries and Mines plans to propose increased customs tariffs on imported steel to the Commission of Article One, Tehran's department responsible for determining customs duties.
"We hope to convince the commission to vote in favor of increasing the steel customs duty in order to support the local steel industry against the impact of cheaper imports," said Mohammad Masoud Samienejad, vice minister of Iran's Ministry of Industries and Mines.
Also commenting on the issue, Esfahan Steel managing director Bahram Sobhani said that steel import tariffs should be raised by 30 percent in order to support domestic producers, adding that increased tariffs will not push steel prices up.
Mr. Sobhani added that the country needed around 20 million mt of steel last year, of which 11 million mt were produced by domestic manufacturers.