Iran industrial, mineral exports at $22b http://www.mehrnews.com/en/newsdetail.aspx?NewsID=1290267

The amount shows 20 percent increase compared with its preceding year.The Iranian deputy industries and mines minister previously had said that industrial and mineral exports has risen 286 percent during the fourth development plan (2005-2010) compared to the preceding five-year plan.Ahmad Khadem-ol Mellah added that the figure has gone up from $16.5 billion in the third Five-Year Socio-Economic Development Plan (2000-2005) to $64 billion in the fourth plan.He said that despite foreign pressure, 125 current industrial and mineral projects of Iran, in 27 countries, are worth $3.5 billion.  

Iran is ranked among the 15 major mineral rich countries and exports its industrial and mineral products to 159 countries including Iraq, China, the United Arab Emirates, India and Afghanistan, the report says.The country with roughly one percent of the world’s population holds more than seven percent of the total mineral reserves of the globe. It lies on 37 billion tons of proven reserves and holds more than 57 billion tons of potential reserves of some 68 types of minerals, including chrome, coal, copper, gold, iron, lead, tin and zinc.Iran has the world’s largest zinc and second largest copper deposits and ranks ninth in iron.