Azerbaijan, Baku, May.1/ Trend F.Karimov/
The 9th international exhibition on stones, mines, and related industries opened in Iran's central city of Isfahan, IRIB reported.
Nearly 90 Iranian companies, as well as representatives from Germany, Italy, Turkey, Greece, and China are attending the expo.
The event will run till May 5.
In April, Iranian deputy industry minister Vajihollah Jafari said that the country's proven mineral reserves amount to 40 billion tons, of which 98 percent - mainly iron ore, zinc, and lead - is possessed by the private sector.
Jafari said that more than 5,600 mines are being operated in Iran.
Some 7,600 mines have been discovered across the country, he noted.
In January, IRNA quoted Iranian Industry, Mine, and Trade Minister Mehdi Ghazanfari as saying that Iran's existing mineral reserves will sustain for 140 years if 400 million tons of the reserves are extracted annually.
Iran's discovered mineral reserves are valued at over $770 billion, he noted.
In September 2012, Ghazanfari said that Iran possesses two percent of the world's total mineral reserves.
Iran holds three percent of the world's mineral reserves, putting it first in the Middle East and third in Asia.
Iran has about 68 kinds of minerals, and 20 other types of minerals have been identified through recent explorations.