TEHRAN, April 2 (Xinhua) -- One of Iran's largest steel plants, recently targeted by the United States and Israel attacks, has ceased operations due to severe damage to its production units, the company said Thursday.
Mobarakeh Steel Company in the central Isfahan province said in a statement that the facility has been hit twice since the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran began in late February, most recently on Tuesday. The damage has led to a complete shutdown of production lines, and personnel have been told not to come to the complex until further notice.
Another major steel complex in southwestern Khuzestan province has also sustained substantial damage.
Mehran Pakbin, deputy director for operations of the Khuzestan Steel Company, said that it will take six months to one year to rebuild the damaged units, according to Nour News affiliated with Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
Pakbin added that all modules and steelmaking furnaces have been damaged extensively.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East. ■
