Final UN annex records an assigned naval clearance role with unverified capacity

An earlier IMO list identified 86 ships sunk or immobilized in the Shatt al-Arab, while PSO plots showed 35 wreck locations. The mission inferred that some listed ships escaped or sank to the...

The annex clarified that a rough earlier total of 800 ships included small barges, tugs and fishing vessels beached on both banks. Some wreckage might predate the war, and most did not seriously...

Almost twelve years without dredging had left silt compressed into heavy mud, difficult to remove especially inside wrecked hulls. The annex identified a physical salvage obstacle distinct from the...

The mission warned that ownership of salvaged cargo and scrapped ships could be contested, even where recovered value was small compared with salvage costs. The annex identified a legal and...

Before salvage work, the mission urged disclosure of ordnance and possible hazardous chemicals, provision of cargo manifests, and removal of mines and dangerous obstacles from riverbanks. These...

Much marine-construction equipment for wreck removal was available in Iran, but heavy-lift cranes of 500–1,000 tonnes were an exception. The annex also called for advanced detection technology to...

Iran’s Transport Ministry estimated $1.6 billion for Shatt al-Arab wreck and explosive clearance, separate from dredging. The mission warned that a proper survey was needed and actual cost might...

The annex reported annual steel consumption of six million tonnes in 1980, while domestic production during the war remained below 1.5 million. The gap helped explain Iran’s priority for expanding...

The mission expected near-term steel consumption of seven to ten million tonnes yearly as reconstruction increased demand. This was an assessment-period demand forecast, not confirmed production or...

Ahvaz’s new steel plant was commissioning and Mobarakeh’s under construction, the annex stated. Together they were expected to produce about five million tonnes annually using gas-based direct...