In pictures: Scenes of toil in Iran’s coal mines

Iranian coal miners push metal carts to be loaded with coal at a mine near the city of Zirab. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Photo

Coal miners eat lunch at a mine near the city of Zirab. The decision to privatise the coal-mining industry 10 years ago has further squeezed miners, who work often in dangerous conditions - and make just $300 a month. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Photo

A coal miner moves wagons to be loaded with coal at a mine near the city of Zirab. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Photo

A coal miner smokes a cigarette during his break at a mine near the city of Zirab. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Photo

A coal miner pushes a metal cart loaded with coal at a mine near the city of Zirab. The miner move up to 100 tonnes of coal a day. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Photo

Coal miners rest during a break at a mine on a mountain in Mazandaran province. The miners put in long hours in often dangerous conditions and make just $300 a month, little more than minimum wage. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Photo

A coal miner smokes a cigarette during his break at a mine near the city of Zirab. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Photo

An coal miner works inside a mine near the city of Zirab. The miners tunnel deep into the mountains, working in dark, narrow passageways where the risk of toxic gases and cave-ins is never far from their minds. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Photo

A coal miner prepares logs at a mine on a mountain in Mazandaran province. Ebrahim Noroozi / AP Photo

Sanctions linked to the decade-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme have hindered the import of heavy machinery and modernisation in all sectors, and coal mining is no exception.