Dr. Amir Aligholizadeh, senior mining and steel industry analyst, one of the speakers at the Steel Transformation Conference organized in cooperation with Metal Expo 2026 and SteelOrbis at the Istanbul Expo Center on September 16-18, has compared Iran and Turkey steel industries in his presentation titled “Iran's Position in the Middle East Steel Industry: A Comparative Analysis of Iran and Turkey.” The presentation identifies Iran's iron ore reserves and direct reduced iron-electric arc furnace (DRI-EAF) route as strengths. Turkey's advantages include its scrap-based EAF industry and access to export markets, although the country faces higher energy costs and substantial dependence on imported raw materials.
According to the comparisons, Iran benefits from its iron ore reserves and competitive natural gas and electricity costs, although energy shortages have presented challenges. Turkey, by contrast, depends heavily on imported iron ore and scrap and faces higher energy costs. The presentation also identifies different geographical roles for the two countries, describing Iran as a gateway to Central Asia and the CIS, and Turkey as a gateway to European and Mediterranean markets.
In terms of decarbonization readiness, Mr. Aligholizadeh identifies Iran's DRI-EAF route and Turkey's scrap-based EAF route as advantages for their respective industries.
Mr. Aligholizadeh has also shared the figures for the countries' production, exports and imports. Iran's crude steel output increasing from 30.4 million mt in 2024 to 32.1 million mt in 2025, while Turkey's output rose from 36.9 million mt to 38.1 million mt over the same period.
The apparent steel use comparison shows Turkey's total consumption increasing from 38 million mt in 2024 to 39 million mt in 2025, while Iran's apparent steel use remained unchanged at 20 million mt.
Export volumes rise, while import levels differ substantially
The presentation puts Iran's steel exports at 13.5 million mt in 2025, compared with 10.8 million mt in 2024. Turkey's exports reached 17.5 million mt in 2025, up from 17 million mt in 2024. On the import side, Iran's volume declined from 1.8 million mt in 2024 to 1.6 million mt in 2025. Turkey's imports increased slightly, from 19.7 million mt to 19.8 million mt. In its assessment of export capability, the presentation identifies sanctions as a limitation for Iran, while describing export capability as an advantage for Turkey.
According to Mr. Aligholizadeh, 2025 production-route comparison shows electric furnaces accounting for 92 percent of Iran's crude steel production, with basic oxygen furnaces (BOFs) representing the remaining eight percent. In Turkey, the respective shares were 70 percent and 30 percent. For the rest of the Middle East, the electric-furnace share is at 95.5 percent, while BOF share is at 4.5 percent.
