Results of generation of intense currents of highly charged ions of heavy elements from laser‐produced Au, Pb, and Ta plasmas are reported. High‐power iodine laser PERUN operating with λ=1.315 μm was used for that purpose. Using a parabolic mirror with a hole in the center instead of a focusing lens increased the efficiency of the illumination system and made the ion measurements along the target normal possible. Multiply charged ions were recorded with an ion energy analyzer in a distance of 240 cm.