The Pentagon's Chinese Tungsten Ban Starts in 15 Months
Key Highlights
- ➤DFARS 252.225-7052 bars Department of War tungsten acquisition from covered countries starting January 1, 2027.
- ➤Tungsten concentrate prices more than tripled in 2026 to $2,500-$2,800 per mtu.
- ➤Western Star Resources (WSR) defined two Nevada tungsten anomalies, peaking at 0.28% WO₃.
- ➤Hudbay Minerals (HBM) lifted Snow Lake life-of-mine gold production 60% to 2.8 million ounces.
Expert Statements
Blake Morgan, CEO and President of Western Star Resources Inc.
“Deploying the same systematic approach to exploration at White Star as we did at Rowland has defined two excellent anomalous zones. This geochemistry points to tungsten-bearing rock sitting at or very near surface. That is exactly the kind of target our sequential approach is built to find, and it takes both Nevada properties into drill planning together.”
George Salamis, President and CEO of Integra Resources Corp.
“The drill results reported today include some of the best gold intercepts drilled since Integra acquired Florida Canyon”
Rod Antal, Executive Chairman of SSR Mining Inc.
“We have now completed the strategic repositioning of our business to the Americas”
Peter Kukielski, CEO of Hudbay Minerals Inc.
“This enhanced Snow Lake mine plan unlocks roughly 60% more gold production over the mine life”
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Energy Metal News News Commentary - On January 1, 2027, the U.S. Department of War loses the ability to buy tungsten mined, refined or produced in China, Russia, North Korea or Iran. China supplies most of the world's tungsten, the United States has no operating commercial tungsten mine, and the countdown now runs about 15 months. Nevada, the state that already anchors America's gold output, is where some of the earliest answers are being drilled out, and explorers across the state are turning this year's field data into drill targets. Companies mentioned in today's commentary include: Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2), SSR Mining Inc. (Nasdaq: SSRM), i-80 Gold Corp. (NYSE: IAUX), Integra Resources Corp. (NYSE American: ITRG), and Hudbay Minerals Inc. (NYSE: HBM).
Key Takeaways * DFARS 252.225-7052 bars Department of War acquisition of tungsten from covered countries, including China, from January 1, 2027, covering the chain from mining through tungsten heavy alloys. * Tungsten concentrate prices assessed by Fastmarkets have more than tripled in 2026, from $750 to $850 per mtu at the start of the year to $2,500 to $2,800 per mtu since late May. * Western Star Resources has defined two new tungsten-in-soil anomalies at its White Star project in Elko County, Nevada, with a peak value of 0.28% WO₃, completing a 568-sample program across two Nevada properties. * Both Nevada properties now carry defined soil anomalies, four in total, and will be advanced together into drill target generation. * Across Nevada, i-80 Gold, Integra Resources and SSR Mining are drilling and re-planning known deposits, while Hudbay counts the Mason copper project among its U.S. assets. A Deadline Written Into Procurement Rules
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