Financial Tribune - A total of 331 mineral production permits were issued during the first seven months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Oct. 22), registering a 21% fall compared with the similar period of last year, the latest report released by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade shows.

These permits are expected to create 2,564 jobs, which indicate a 24% decline year-on-year.

The nominal mineral extraction capacity of the projects stands at 11.95 million tons, which shows a 55.6% decrease compared with the corresponding period of last year.