While some exporters of Iranian steel billet complain about the unfavorable business environment in their country, as well as the unsatisfactory demand in the Asian market, other Iranian sellers have continued to succeed in trades to alternative destinations. However, despite the uptrend in the scrap segment in Turkey, a rise in deal prices for ex-Iran steel billet has yet to be seen. “I do not want to bid now. For Mediterranean Sea region, AQS [Algerian Qatari Steel] still has a cargo to sell and they are cheaper. For Asia, I am not sure if I want to. China looks shaky,” an international trader stated. “We still do not have any plans for sales in the near future,” a representative of a major Iranian steel billet mill stated, commenting on the situation, highlighting the serious challenges while doing business amid the ongoing anti-government protests in Iran.
Meanwhile, this week SteelOrbis has learned of a few fresh deals, two of which were done for billet produced by Iran-based Khouzestan Steel Company. Specifically, two cargoes, for 30,000 mt and 20,000 mt, changed hands at $445/mt FOB, which is at the high end of the range valid last week. The destinations in the trades in question remained undisclosed at the time of publication, while earlier numerous Iranian steel billet sales were concluded to Jordan. A few more deals for smaller tonnages have been heard at “approximately the same level” this week.