2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 11
Summary
Major sections of Iran’s Mobarakeh Steel complex near Isfahan were shut for weeks after Israeli airstrikes on March 27 and again days later, idling more than 20,000 workers.
Israel said the strikes were meant to slash Iran’s steelmaking capacity and cut revenue flowing to the Revolutionary Guards, expanding the campaign beyond missile sites, headquarters and air defenses.
The shutdown also choked steel supplies to domestic manufacturers, showing how attacks on businesses tied to Iran’s security establishment can quickly hit the wider civilian economy.
Mobarakeh captures that tension: profitable industrial groups are intertwined with Iran’s clerical and security elite, yet they also support the livelihoods of millions of ordinary Iranians.