Iran’s gold reserves stand at 340 tons:Iranian official

SEMNAN,May 26(MNA) – The volume of Iran’s gold reserves is estimated to be over 340 tons, the Geological Survey of Iran deputy director announced. There are 15 gold mines in the country and extraction will be started in two other mines in the current Iranian calendar year, which started on March 21, IRNA quoted Behrouz Borna as saying on Saturday. Iran ranks 12th in Asia and 42nd in the world in terms of gold reserves, Borna stated. He added that the country’s annual gold production is projected to hit 10 tons this year. Three new gold mines were discovered in Saqqez city in the western province of Kurdistan in the last [Iranian calendar] year. Last year, Fars news agency quoted Borna as saying that Iran has about 68 kinds of minerals, and 20 other types of minerals had been identified through recent explorations.