Iran's crude steel production capacity currently stands at 20 million tons, the Mehr News Agency quoted Ja'fari as saying.

"By inauguration of some steel production projects in provinces of Gilan, Yazd, Esfahan, and Fars some 4 million tons would be added to the country's total crude steel production capacity," he explained.

The country's steel products output capacity is currently 30 million tons, Ja'fari said, adding that some 17.5 million tons steel products was produced in Iran in the past Iranian calendar year. Ja'fari said last April that the country's annual crude steel output is projected to reach 55 million tons by 2025.

The latest statistics released by the World Steel Association shows that Iran has produced 6.077 million tons of crude steel in the first five months of 2013.

Iran's crude steel output in May stood at 1.287 million tons, which is 3.7 percent more than the same period previous year, the IRNA News Agency reported.

The country's production growth in May was more than other major producers of the world including India , USA , France , Germany , Italy , Mexico , Britain , Russia , and Ukraine .

Some 658 million tons of crude steel was produced across the globe in the first five months of the current year. The figure shows 2.1 per cent increase compared to the same period of time previous year.

The Mehr News Agency reported on June 17 that Iran produced 2.6 million tons of crude steel in the first two months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-May 21).

The output rose by one percent compared to the same period of the previous year. In the second month of Ordibehesht, the output hit 1.32 million tons, up 4.3 percent year on year.

The managing director of Mobarakeh Steel Company said in May that Iran's steel output accounts for 60 percent of the Middle East 's total steel production.

Iran's share of steel imports also equals to 30 to 33 percent, the IRNA News Agency quoted Mohammad Masoud Samieenejad as saying.

The latest statistics show that Iran is the world's 15th biggest steel producer, he explained. Iran produced over 17.4 million tons of steel products in the previous calendar year.