TEHRAN – Iran’s commercial attaché in Shanghai has stressed the need to expand exports of high-value-added copper products and tap into China’s growing market for copper derivatives.
Masoud Ostad-Hussein said Iran exported $618 million worth of copper products worldwide in 2024, ranking 50th among global copper exporters.
He added that Turkey was the top destination, importing $474 million, followed by China at $126 million, making 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.
He said Iran’s copper exports to China mainly comprise higher-value products such as cathodes and semi-finished goods, while chemical derivatives, particularly copper sulfate and oxides, remain an underdeveloped export opportunity.
The official said China’s copper sulfate prices rose from $2,305 per ton in early 2025 to $2,909 in the second quarter of 2026.
He recommended shifting toward semi-finished products and chemical compounds, expanding barter trade and establishing small-scale processing units to boost Iran’s share of China’s copper market.