Some 1.15 billion dollars has been invested in Iran's mining sector between 2006 and 2009, the deputy industry minister stated.
The investment has been made in exploration and extraction activities, Mohammad-Masoud Samieinejad added, the government's website reported.
The economic reform plan has envisaged supportive plans for 23 industrial energy-intensive industries such as cement, steel and aluminum, he said.
The country's annual crude steel output was 12 million tons in the year to March 2009, he said and added that there are plans to raise this figure to 20 million tons in the current year.