24th Annual General Assembly of Iran’s Mining Engineering Organization Held at University of Birjand

The 24th Annual General Assembly of the Iran Mining Engineering Organization was held on Wednesday, September 10, 2026, at the University of Birjand. Hosted by the South Khorasan Provincial Mining Engineering Organization, the event was attended by the Deputy Minister for Mining and Mineral Industries, the Governor of South Khorasan, the Head of the Iran Mining Engineering Organization, provincial organization leaders, officials, economic stakeholders, and representatives from Afghanistan. During the assembly, the “Atlas of Regulations and Guidelines of the Iran Mining Engineering Organization” was unveiled.

Dr. Ahmad Khamsan, Acting President of the University of Birjand, welcomed participants and stressed that investment in human capital is essential for the mining sector. He highlighted the university’s strong programs in geology, mining, and related engineering fields, expressed concern over declining student interest in mining disciplines, and proposed scholarships with job guarantees. He also offered the university’s laboratories and expertise for collaboration in mineral processing, technology development, and training, including potential scholarships for Afghan students.

Engineer Seyed Mohammadreza Hashemi, Governor of South Khorasan, described the province as a national mineral treasure, noting that more than 52 of Iran’s 74 mineral types are found there, along with major coal, gold, and bentonite reserves and over 820 mines. He called for ending the export of raw minerals, developing local processing facilities, and leveraging the Chabahar–Central Asia railway project. He praised the University of Birjand as a key scientific asset and noted the province’s ranking as one of the safest for investment.

Vajhollah Jafari, Deputy Minister, emphasized evaluating performance based on real-world results and highlighted the national mining strategic plan. With over 50,000 members in the organization, he stressed that success depends on improving productivity, safety, and investor trust rather than membership numbers alone. He called for an infrastructure roadmap for South Khorasan and greater focus on value-added processing and critical minerals.

Engineer Reza Bastami, Head of the Iran Mining Engineering Organization, stated that mineral potential becomes wealth only when combined with knowledge and engineering. He outlined priorities including smart exploration, quality engineering services, training (37,000 participants in the previous year), and stronger supervision. He unveiled the six-volume Atlas (nearly 2,800 pages) and warned of a possible future shortage of mining engineers, urging closer cooperation among universities, government ministries, and the organization.

Dr. Morteza Jalalifard, Head of the South Khorasan organization, welcomed attendees and noted the province’s approximately 1,500 members.

Hosting this national assembly reinforces the University of Birjand’s role as a center for dialogue on the future of mining and engineering in Iran.