Iran Seeks Bigger Share of Chinese Copper Market

Iran's commercial attaché in Shanghai has been urging the country to expand its exports of high-value-added copper products and tap into China's growing market for copper derivatives.

Masoud Ostad-Hossein, Iran's commercial attaché, said that in 2024, Iran exported $618 million worth of copper products worldwide, ranking it 50th among global copper exporters.

Turkey was the top destination, importing $474 million, followed by China at $126 million, which made it Iran's largest export market outside West Asia, according to a press release by the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, carried by IRNA on Sunday.

Ostad-Hossein emphasized that while Iran's copper exports to China mainly comprise higher-value products such as cathodes and semi-finished goods, chemical derivatives, particularly copper sulfate and oxides, remain an underdeveloped export opportunity.