As the Middle East’s first entrant into lithium, all eyes will be on Iran. Finding lithium in the region indicates that the middle east mining sector may become a new and key player supplying battery metals and critical minerals contributing to the global battery and electric mobility ecosystem.
The defense ministry launched Iran's largest plant for production of lithium battery packs in March to increase production capacity by 35% and to remove any need for imports of the product. Iran’s capacity for production of lithium batteries is expanding to help its electrification drive.
In this ongoing chess match over the security of lithium supply chains, Iran’s lithium reserves mark a potential game-changer for China’s present reliance on foreign suppliers such as Australia, Brazil, Canada and Zimbabwe, which make up 70–74% of its lithium imports.
Reza Shojaei, who serves as a deputy head at the Iranian defense ministry’s department for energy resources, said on Tuesday that Iran has the technology needed to design and manufacture lithium batteries that are used in electric vehicles.
With global Lithium reserves estimated at 89 million tons, Iran may possibly possess almost one tenth of the world’s Lithium supply.” Iran’s recent Lithium discovery will shift more attention to mining in the Middle East. Why?
Iran’s recent unearthing of a vast lithium deposit – potentially the world’s second largest – has sent shockwaves through the global lithium competition landscape. Amid the shifting currents of these developments, two key players stand out: China and Australia.