Indian steelmakers have called on the government to ban imports of iron and steel products from Iran

The Indian Steel Association (ISA), representing India's major steelmakers, strongly urged the Indian government to immediately ban imports of iron and steel products from Iran, as the number of steel imports from Iran increased nearly five times.

The Indian Steel Association said last week that the number of steel products exports from Iran to India has increased after the United States imposed sanctions on Iran.

Over the past eight years, Iran has steadily increased its steel production. But as the world's tenth largest steel producer, Iran's domestic steel demand has shrunk. Although per capita crude steel consumption in Iran has fallen by 14%, its total excess capacity has risen by 36% to 12.2 million tons. Thirty percent of Iran's steel exports go to ASEAN, which also increases the possibility of Iranian steel products going to India through third countries.

India's direct imports of iron and steel from Iran increased by 66% in fiscal year 2017-2018. But by December 2018, imports in fiscal year 2018-2019 were zero. According to reports, a large number of Iranian-made steel products entered the Indian market by roundabout route through the United Arab Emirates after changing the origin label. It is worrying that the United Arab Emirates, as a net importer of steel, is exporting 390% more steel to India, including 65,000 tons of sheet metal, while the United Arab Emirates itself is a traditional net importer of sheet metal. This indicates that some Iranian steel products have been transported to India via the United Arab Emirates, according to the Indian Steel Association.