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Iran’s mining and industrial sectors have reached a point where they can no longer be managed with courtesy, fabricated reports, or superficial reshuffles. The country’s economic conditions, external pressures, financial constraints, energy imbalance, and regional geopolitical changes necessitate a thorough review of the management structures of major mining and industrial enterprises with an entirely new perspective.
Among these, the most important institution that can initiate this transformation is the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), which plays a central role in policymaking, guiding development projects, and overseeing the major mining and industrial companies of the country. Today, more than ever, it is expected that this organization courageously, frankly, and without hesitation, evaluate the performance of managers and reconsider the managerial structure of its subsidiaries.
The reality is that some of the current managers in mining, steel, aluminum companies, and affiliated holdings have failed to present a defensible track record even during periods of relative economic stability. Delays in project execution, cost overruns, low productivity, slow decision-making, and inability to expand markets are clear signs of managerial fatigue in parts of these organizations.
The primary question today is: how can we expect managers who have not performed satisfactorily under normal conditions to complete their projects and pave the way for Iran’s industrial development under the current complex circumstances?
This issue is not limited to managing ongoing companies alone. Many development projects currently under implementation or in planning phases must be reconsidered from a managerial and strategic standpoint in line with the country’s new conditions. Projects in steel, copper, aluminum, rare earth elements, energy infrastructure, and mineral exploration require managers who not only possess technical knowledge but also have the capacity for rapid decision-making, crisis management, and the courage to reform organizational structures.
Under current conditions, project definitions and schedules cannot continue based on assumptions of past years. Energy limitations, financial supply issues, shifts in export markets, and regional developments require a serious reassessment of project priorities and even the composition of their management teams.
One major problem observed in some companies and their subsidiary projects is that new managers have yet to consolidate their management structures. In many cases, these managers still accommodate previous personnel and teams, lacking the authority or will to make internal appointments. Continuing this situation is a serious managerial error. No manager can bear responsibility for outcomes without establishing a coordinated, specialized team aligned with their goals. A manager without the tools to appoint deputies, middle managers, and project leaders practically cannot implement their plans.
Accommodating previous structures might reduce organizational tensions short-term but will ultimately cause slow decision-making, internal conflicts, and perpetuate the very weaknesses that led to management changes initially. If a manager is to be appointed, they must have full authority to select their team based on merit, expertise, and efficiency.
IMIDRO must carefully assess which managers are capable of advancing development projects and which are merely successful at preserving their administrative positions. The country’s issue today is not a shortage of managers but a shortage of managers who can make major decisions and take responsibility in complex and crisis conditions.
Crisis management is not just a title or slogan. It means timely decision-making, eliminating unnecessary costs, increasing productivity, accelerating projects, correcting inefficient structures, and creating full coordination within the managerial body. Any manager lacking these capabilities should not remain at the helm of the country’s strategic projects.
As a specialized media outlet in the mining and mineral industries, we have been closely monitoring the managerial and developmental trends in this sector for years. Without naming individuals, it is clear that some projects have diverged from set objectives due to managerial weakness, lack of organizational cohesion, and indecisiveness.
The time for serious decisions has arrived. IMIDRO must, with a national vision that transcends individual considerations and non-specialized relationships, reevaluate managers, projects, and executive structures. Managers without defensible records must be replaced, and new managers should have full authority to form specialized teams and implement their plans.
Iran’s mining and industry still have the capacity to overcome current hardships, but not with the old managerial models. The country needs a courageous decision—one to end ineffective management and start a period where expertise, experience, executive authority, and crisis management skills are the main criteria for manager selection.
If this decision is not made today, tomorrow it may be too late not only to change managers but also to compensate for the delays in strategic projects and lost developmental opportunities.
Mohammad Reza Ebrahimi
Managing Director of the “Madan Nameh” news portal