In a wire drawing process for forming a wire rod containing iridium as a main component and which further contains nickel and at least one of platinum, rhodium and ruthenium, and having a cross-sectional area of not smaller than 0.05 mm.sup.2 and not larger than 1.2 mm.sup.2. The worked material is continuously heated red hot and/or white hot in a heating region 103 extending up to 60 mm from the work inserting surface 101a of a die 101 in a direction opposite that in which the work 102 moves, the work being heated to a temperature of 1000 to 1150.degree. C. at a temperature measuring position 105 which is removed from the work inserting surface 101a by 20 mm. Furthermore, the temperature in the region 106 extending from the temperature measuring position 105 to the work inserting surface 101a is set to not lower than 1000.degree. C., and the wire drawing rate is set to 300 to 1600 mm/min.