TOLOnews- Iran is willing to invest in Sangan iron ore mine in Herat province and process the mineral resource inside that country.

However, the Afghan government has called for processing the mineral resource inside Afghanistan, the acting minister of mines Nargis Nehan said.

Sangan iron ore is located in bordering areas between Afghanistan and Iran.

Iran has extracted the mineral resource from its part, according to Afghan Ministry of Mines, and now it is trying to afford its need of raw materials for its factories from the Afghanistan part of the iron ore.

�I held talks with Iran ambassador in Kabul many times,� Nehan said at a press briefing on Friday. �Iran is interested to extract the mineral resource in Afghanistan as it needs raw materials for its machineries and it has ended the mineral resource from its part of Sangan iron ore (on Iran soil),� Nehan said.

�We have a policy, based on which, extracted mineral resources should be processed inside the country (Afghanistan),� she added.

Earlier this month, Iran Ambassador in Kabul Mohammad Reza Bahrami said Kabul and Tehran have started talks on investment in mining sector in Afghanistan.

�We have held talks with Afghanistan�s government on investment in mines in this country, particularly the Sangan (iron ore) mine,� he said.

Some Herat lawmakers have called on government to come up with proper strategies on the mining sector in order to ensure the safety of these projects in bordering areas with Iran.