Steel production in the Middle East rose by 11.2 per cent in September compared to a year earlier, driven by a significant increase in Iran, according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel).

Middle East crude steel output was 2.25 million tonnes in September compared with 2.02 million tonnes in the same month of 2012.

Iran, the region’s largest steel producer, increased output by 10.7 per cent to 1.36 million tonnes while the UAE’s production was up 20.8 per cent to 247,000 tonnes. Saudi Arabian production was up 7.5 per cent year-on-year to 450,000 tonnes and Qatari production rose 7.5 per cent to 186,000 tonnes. Elsewhere in the Middle East & North Africa (Mena) region, Egypt’s steel production rose 15.2 per cent to 623,000 tonnes.

The Middle East and Asia were the only two regions to record growth in September, with European steel output dropping 8.9 per cent. Global output rose 6.1 per cent to 132.5 million driven by the world’s largest steel producer China.

Worldsteel reports steel production from 65 countries accounting for 99 per cent of global capacity.