In October 2018, Iran's Industrial Development & Renovation Organization (IDRO Group) and the Chinese company ZSM signed an agreement in Tehran for a water treatment facility in the western province of Ilam. As AzerNews reported, citing the Trend agency and broadcaster IRIB, the deal covered the transfer of scientific and technical know-how for ZSM's desalination machines as well as the necessary equipment. The desalinated water was later to supply the country's petrochemical and steel industries. Industry Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari attended the ceremony.
The report shows that Iran sought not only a plant but the know-how behind desalination equipment. Petrochemicals and steel were named as users of the water, against the backdrop of a chronic water shortage described in the article.
Source: AzerNews