Steel imports threaten Iran’s steel sector
Experts believe that Iran's steel industry will not achieve success in the fourth five-year plan (2005-2010) unless Tehran increases steel import tariffs. Steel import tariffs stand at 15 percent, and domestic many mills are finding themselves under increased pressure as imports continue to pour into Iran. If left unchecked, the imports could stunt the development of Iran's domestic industry. Some of the measures that Tehran has already implemented to stimulate industry growth translated into a 7 percent year on year rise, to 3.1 million tons, in unprocessed steel production during the April-July 2005 period. Iran produced 580'000 tons of rod during the same period, up 32.1 percent from a year earlier.