Following the Iranian government's decision to privatize 40 percent of two state-owned steel companies, namely Mobarakeh Steel Company and Khuzestan Steel Company, Iranian officials have welcomed foreign investor participation in the process.
Stating that foreign investors are welcome to participate in the steel industry privatizations, deputy head of the Iranian Privatization Organization (IPO), Mr.Esmaeil Gholami, went on to say that so far investors from Russia, Turkey, India, England, from some other European countries and from the Persian Gulf, have expressed interest in buying stakes in these steel mills and in some other stated-owned companies earmarked for partial privatization, such as Telecommunication Company of Iran, Iranian Aluminum Company, and Razi Petrochemical Company.