Iran launches over 1,300 factories to boost employment

Iran has inaugurated 1,325 industrial units of various sizes over the past 18 months under the administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian, generating direct employment for more than 80,000 people. The announcement was made by the Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade, Mohammad Atabak, according to IRNA, a partner of TV BRICS.

Addressing participants, the minister underlined the decisive contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to job creation and to a more balanced distribution of production capacities across the country. He specified that 868 new facilities, alongside 508 renovated or revived factories located in industrial towns, are being launched simultaneously.

Mohammad Atabak also pointed to the recent approval of the National Industrial Cluster Development Programme, describing it as a milestone for improving licensing procedures, directing investment flows, encouraging regional synergy. The initiative shifts industrial value chains towards a networked, cluster-based model in which each enterprise operates within a wider system of production, innovation and market access, he explained.

According to the minister, the government is prioritising stronger ties between SMEs, large industries and knowledge-based companies, while mobilising support institutions to reinforce local clusters. He commended President Pezeshkian for sustained backing of the sector and noted that public authorities and private sector work together as partners in development.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Atabak stressed that smaller businesses reinforce resilience, help prevent interruptions to production and underpin stable employment in towns and rural areas. In this framework, he said, SMEs are regarded as essential drivers of Iran’s long-term industrial expansion.