TEHRAN – Industries and Mines Organization of Kurdestan Province, western Iran, has offered its consensus on gold extraction from Sari Gunay region of the province, the head of the organization told the Persian service of ISNA on Saturday.

Zarkuh Company, a joint venture of Iran Exploration Services and British Rio Tinto, has been surveying the field for over a year, and based on the Clause 10 of Iran Mining Law, is entitled to receive mining permit, Abdolfattah Hesami noted, stipulating that the final decision rests with Ministry of Industries.

The oxidized zone of the mine holds a promise of 70% gold of various purities, whereas the sulfurized part does not offer economic feasibility at 30%, he elaborated, adding Zarkuh’s studies indicate 53 million tons of ore reserve with 1.66% purity.