According to statistics released by Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), major Iranian steelmakers exported 675,000 tons of steel <\/strong><\/a>in the first month of 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also exported 5.88 million tons of finished and semi-finished steel in the first 10 months of the current Iranian year, to January 20, a 25-percent increase year-on-year, reported Press TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The figures did not include exports by Iran\u2019s small private sector mills which like other Iranian producers send the bulk of their products to Southeast Asia and the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian steel mills are monitoring the global market for any gap from falling Chinese exports in the wake of a coronavirus epidemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China is the world\u2019s largest steel exporter, but overseas orders for Chinese steel are reportedly declining. According to S&P Global Platts, Turkey, Iran and Russia are in a race to fill the gap in the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s industrial metals, specifically steel, are the latest target in the Trump administration\u2019s maximum pressure campaign, but officials say the sector is unfazed and keeps growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December, 2019, the US government launched the latest salvo in the campaign as it warned against exports of steel-making materials to Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n