TEHRAN- Bahram Shokouhi, Head of the Iran Stone Association, said Iran’s stone industry has the capacity to generate at least $5 billion in foreign currency earnings and exports if its potential is properly guided and supported.
Speaking at a press conference for the 18th Iran International Stone Exhibition in Mahallat and Nimvar, he said this capacity, combined with job creation, could make the stone industry more prominent in the national economy.
The exhibition will be held from October 6 to 9, focusing on block stones and products from Iran’s stone industry. More than 600 domestic and foreign companies are participating. It covers about 120,000 square meters, with more than 45,000 tons of block stone offered. Trade delegations from Russia, Pakistan, Turkey, India, and Egypt have been invited.
Shokouhi said that for the first time a stone service desk will be set up with experts from the Deputy for Mining Affairs, the Trade Promotion Organization, the Mining Engineering Organization, and representatives of the Iran University of Science and Technology. Specialized panels, training workshops, cultural and artistic programs, the campaign “Behind Every Stone Is a Life,” and discussions on risks in the stone industry and family issues of activists are among other programs.
He noted that the Stone Headquarters, previously the Stone Policy Council, has been reactivated with the association’s follow-up and the cooperation of the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade. It examines exploration, extraction, processing, and export issues. The 14th meeting of the National Stone Desk and a joint meeting of the Mining Commission of the Iran Chamber with the Arak Chamber will be held on the sidelines.
Shokouhi, who also heads the Mining Commission of the Iran Chamber, pointed to new technologies entering Iran’s stone industry. One is cutting machines using wires as thin as dental floss, currently used for soft stones, which can increase extraction and processing efficiency while reducing waste. He said this technology can create about 35 to 40 percent more recovery from block stone and reduce finished costs.
He stressed the need to reduce the carbon footprint in the stone industry. Programs include training and developing environmental product passports, courses on carbon footprint, and active participation at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya. The goals are lower carbon emissions, lower production costs, and a competitive advantage for Iranian stone exporters.
Shokouhi also mentioned the formation of the World Stone Federation. With cooperation among stone associations from various countries, a global stone alliance and federation has been formed to strengthen natural stone’s position in global markets. One goal is to create a carbon passport or ID for stone, determining carbon emissions from extraction at the mine to destination, so the natural stone industry can strengthen its global position based on this data.
On production and export statistics, Shokouhi said that in 1403, about 10 to 12 million tons of stone were produced in Iran, but export value was only about $230 million. Compared with the approximately $42 billion value of global stone exports, Iran’s share is very limited. About 85 percent of produced stone is processed and consumed domestically, and nearly 15 percent is allocated to exports, of which about 5 percent is exported as block and 10 percent as cut stone. Turkey, by contrast, produced about 15 million tons of stone in 2025 and exported nearly 41 percent of its production.
Shokouhi said the Iran International Stone Exhibition can introduce the diversity of Iranian stones to foreign buyers. Instead of visiting different mines across the country, buyers can see, choose, and order products in one place. Offering stone blocks in global markets can pave the way for recognition and, later, development of processed stone exports.
He called fuel shortage one of the serious problems of mines. A significant part of mining machinery is old and high-consumption, and last year fuel distribution was announced about 25 percent less than stated need. As a result, some mines bought fuel from the free market and in some cases faced smuggling-related cases.
Referring to transportation problems under wartime conditions, Shokouhi said long truck queues at land borders and stopped shipments can cause exports to face penalties and loss of customers. Coordination with neighboring countries is needed to speed up truck passage, and special routes or a “green lane” should be considered for export shipments that have customers. During the exhibition, some stone shipments reached their destination late due to customs and transportation problems, and with coordination between the Iran Stone Association and Customs, part of these shipments were cleared and transferred out of turn.
Shokouhi emphasized that the main demand of economic activists is to reduce barriers and cumbersome regulations so producers and exporters can continue. In the current situation, the issue of the stone industry is no longer merely development; rather, it is maintaining existing production and employment, and removing barriers can help continue activity.
Ziba Yazdani, Secretary of the Iran Stone Association, said that if the goal is synergy, economic growth, and business development in the stone industry, no link in the chain can be ignored, and the Iran International Stone Exhibition can be the connecting link. She noted the difficult conditions of holding the 18th edition, saying that continuing the event when even some more ordinary exhibitions were not held shows its importance for the economy and related businesses. The association participated in planning and execution within its responsibility for coordination and paving the way for business development.
Yazdani said five specialized panels are planned: Iran’s stone industry in the carbon era, a stone block is not raw, multi-wire technology, social issues of miners’ families, and export development solutions. Booth layout began about a month ago, and more than 2,000 executive operations have been considered for preparing and holding the exhibition.
Ali Joudaki, Head of the Industry, Mine and Trade Organization of Markazi Province, pointed to the region’s capacities for hosting the exhibition. He said holding it in Mahallat is an important advantage because a significant part of the country’s stone mines is concentrated there. About 70 percent of Iran’s stone mines whose products are exportable are located within a 300-kilometer radius of Mahallat. The exhibition venue is next to the stone export terminal, allowing trade delegations and foreign buyers to view products and have suitable access to mines and production capacities.
Joudaki continued that the stone economy chain—from exploration and extraction to processing, supply, export, and sales—must be fully formed so the industry has economic justification. Given the region’s mining capacities, access to mines, export terminal, and existing facilities, the Mahallat exhibition can become a platform for introducing Iran’s stone industry and increasing the country’s share of global markets.
Hassan Khazaeipour, Governor of Mahallat, referred to the county’s diverse capacities in tourism, agriculture, and industry. With more than 150 active mines and about 300 stone processing units, Mahallat is one of the important hubs of the country’s stone industry, and the 18th exhibition is an important opportunity to introduce these capacities. With a population of more than 65,000, Mahallat is an important tourism area of Markazi Province and has capacities such as the Abgarm area, production of ornamental flowers and plants, and production and export of ornamental fish. More than 900 hectares of the county’s lands have been allocated to greenhouse cultivation and production of ornamental flowers and plants.
Khazaeipour said more than 14 percent of the world’s travertine stone is located in the Abbasabad area of Mahallat County, and holding the international stone exhibition in Nimvar is a valuable opportunity to introduce this capacity and develop export markets. So far, the presence of activists from about eight countries, including India, Portugal, Bangladesh, China, Turkey, Russia, and Armenia, has been announced. Last year, stone industry activists from 27 provinces attended. This year, the exhibition will also be held in an area of about 120,000 square meters.
Abbas Karbalaei, a private sector activist in the stone field, said the complex has been launched as the country’s first exhibition site with 100 percent private sector investment and the participation of miners and stone industry activists. Alongside the International Stone Exhibition, the country’s first export terminal in the stone field has also been launched in this complex so that necessary infrastructure for export development and a more active presence in international markets is provided.
Mohammad Hallajian, organizer of the 18th Iran International Stone Exhibition, said the brand of the Iran International Stone Exhibition, Mahallat–Nimvar, has been introduced in more than 10 countries over the past 12 years, and it is the only Iranian stone exhibition included in the global calendar of exhibitions in this field. With about 38,000 square meters of net exhibition space and about 45,000 tons of products, it has a notable record among specialized stone exhibitions worldwide in terms of stone brought in. More than 600 entities, including companies and mines from 27 provinces, are present.
Hallajian continued that considering about one thousand active building stone mines in the country, more than 400 mines are present. Service desks with the Deputy for Mining Affairs of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, the Mining Engineering Organization, the Iran Trade Promotion Organization, and the Iran University of Science and Technology are being held to provide specialized answers on exploration, extraction, export, foreign exchange commitments, and supply of machinery. He also announced the unveiling of Iran’s first quartzite mine at the exhibition, saying Iran has a special position in diversity of building stones, and the discovery and introduction of Iranian quartzite can help complete the chain of mineral diversity.
The Executive Director of the Exhibition referred to cultural and social programs. The campaign “Behind Every Stone Is a Life” will be unveiled to support and educate the families of miners who are away from their families for long periods due to work conditions, and it is planned to be developed nationally with the support of the Iran Stone Association. Artistic programs including music, calligraphy, painting, and sculpture with stone will also be held so that the cultural and artistic capacities of this natural material are introduced alongside its industrial and mining capabilities.
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