WANA (Dec 07) – The countdown has begun for the reopening of Iran’s largest underground iron ore mine—designed and engineered using domestic expertise.

 

According to reports from several Iranian news agencies, new information indicates that one of the country’s major iron ore mines is preparing to reopen as Iran’s first large-scale underground iron mining operation.

 

Previously, a Chinese proposal had suggested reopening the mine through the excavation of access shafts. However, updated plans now show that this site—set to become the largest underground iron ore mine in West Asia—will be reopened under an Iranian-designed scheme using two large tunnels excavated by Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). These tunnels are expected to be wide enough to allow full truck traffic inside the mine.