{"id":39126,"date":"2026-05-25T08:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/?p=39126"},"modified":"2026-05-25T08:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:14:14","slug":"china-controls-a-metal-thats-key-for-the-iran-war-sending-the-u-s-on-a-global-hunt-for-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/?p=39126","title":{"rendered":"China controls a metal that\u2019s key for the Iran war, sending the U.S. on a global hunt for more"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"anchor-4bd3ee\" class=\"body-graf\">YEONGWOL COUNTY, South Korea \u2014 As the United States <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/house-republicans-cancel-vote-war-powers-trump-iran-rcna346468\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wages war on Iran<\/a>, it is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/last-rounds-status-key-munitions-iran-war-ceasefire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">burning through stockpiles<\/a> of advanced weapons and ammunition, including Tomahawk, Patriot and Precision Strike missiles. Replacing them will require a powerful metal, tungsten, whose production and refining is dominated by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/china\/putin-visits-china-trump-xi-summit-ukraine-war-russia-protests-rcna345632\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">China<\/a> \u2014 leading the U.S. to desperately search for it elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"styles_subscriptionCTA__LOUeY\" id=\"subscriptionCTA\" type=\"button\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"styles_textWrapper__vxvko\">\n<p class=\"styles_text__daaVB styles_textLarge__qlzwu\">Subscribe to read this story ad-free    <\/p>\n<p class=\"styles_text__daaVB\">Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/rockcms\/2026-01\/arrow-f55fa5.svg\" alt=\"arrow\" class=\"styles_arrow__tnruW\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/button><\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-082148\" class=\"body-graf\">Tungsten is used in fighter jets, bunker buster bombs, armor-piercing rounds and missile systems, making it indispensable for national defense. But the U.S. has had no active commercial tungsten mines since 2015, and the Trump administration has made it a mission to curb dependence on the Chinese supply.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__FvnTh styles_medium__MEKii\" id=\"anchor-fb05da\"><picture class=\"styles_image__i32F7\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"fit\" data-original-height=\"1667\" data-original-width=\"2500\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-mining-district-Inner-Mongolia-rs-b8d745.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-mining-district-Inner-Mongolia-rs-b8d745.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-mining-district-Inner-Mongolia-rs-b8d745.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-mining-district-Inner-Mongolia-rs-b8d745.jpg 1x\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-mining-district-Inner-Mongolia-rs-b8d745.jpg\" alt=\"A mining district in China\u2019s Inner Mongolia region in October.\" height=\"1667\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__TCewG\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">A mining district in China\u2019s Inner Mongolia region in October.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Fred Dufour \/ NBC News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"anchor-57e16f\" class=\"body-graf\">One place the metal can be found is in the mountains of eastern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/asia\/south-korea-japan-lee-jae-myung-sanae-takaichi-rcna345836\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">South Korea<\/a>, at a mine owned by a U.S. company that holds millions of tons of tungsten ore.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-5cd2ae\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cThere are very few large-scale tungsten mines on the planet,\u201d said Lewis Black, chief executive of Almonty Industries, which reopened the Sangdong mine in March more than 30 years after it shut down because of competition from China. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-667ced\" class=\"body-graf\">Tungsten has long been a \u201cwar metal,\u201d Black told NBC News last month during a visit to the mine. In recent decades, it has also become a \u201cbackbone metal\u201d in the technology sector, used in semiconductors, batteries, smartphones and more.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-51c4e6\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cThe demand for tungsten is going to only increase,\u201d said Steve Allen, Almonty\u2019s chief operating officer. \u201cSo having a resilient supply chain for tungsten is going to be extremely important over the next decade, two decades.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-e5277a\" class=\"body-graf\">There is no substitute for tungsten, whose global supply has come under even more pressure since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began in February. It could take as long as four years to restore key munitions to prewar levels, which would be critical in the event of conflict with China, Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/last-rounds-status-key-munitions-iran-war-ceasefire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said in a report<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-babf13\" class=\"body-graf\">The weapons shortfall also affects U.S. allies such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/japan\/2-arrested-breaking-punch-monkey-enclosure-japan-zoo-says-rcna345685\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Japan<\/a>, which relies on Tomahawk missiles, and South Korea, which hosts the THAAD missile system. The Beijing-claimed island of Taiwan is also awaiting a potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/asia\/taiwan-says-us-not-adjusted-military-sales-rcna346469\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$14 billion U.S. arms package<\/a> that a Trump administration said last week was on \u201cpause\u201d due to the Iran war. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__FvnTh styles_medium__MEKii\" id=\"anchor-75e829\"><picture class=\"styles_image__i32F7\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"fit\" data-original-height=\"1667\" data-original-width=\"2500\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-Sangdong-Tungsten-Minenbc-3-rs-848bae.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-Sangdong-Tungsten-Minenbc-3-rs-848bae.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-Sangdong-Tungsten-Minenbc-3-rs-848bae.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-Sangdong-Tungsten-Minenbc-3-rs-848bae.jpg 1x\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-Sangdong-Tungsten-Minenbc-3-rs-848bae.jpg\" alt=\"Almonty Industries\u2019 Sangdong tungsten mine in South Korea.\" height=\"1667\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__TCewG\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Almonty Industries\u2019 Sangdong tungsten mine in South Korea.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Kyle Eppler \/ NBC News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"anchor-109f4e\" class=\"body-graf\">Aided by government subsidies, lower labor costs and looser regulations, China has dominated the global tungsten industry for decades, producing over 80% of the world\u2019s supply and using more than half of it. The U.S. gets much of its tungsten from recycling, as well as relying heavily on imports \u2014 more than 6,000 metric tons of processed tungsten each year, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/centers\/national-minerals-information-center\/tungsten-statistics-and-information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Geological Survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-c0a4f7\" class=\"body-graf\">Last year, amid a trade war with the U.S., China slapped export controls on about a dozen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/china\/china-us-trade-talks-rare-earth-minerals-electric-cars-defense-rcna211110\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rare earths and critical minerals<\/a>, including tungsten, sending prices soaring to record highs. China agreed to a tariff and rare earth truce last year that expires in November.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-f48bf6\" class=\"body-graf\">The highly heat-resistant metal that Black says is \u201cas dense as gold and as delicate as porcelain\u201d is extremely difficult to extract and process. Tungsten mines also produce hazardous waste and disrupt <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0048969722055607\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">local ecosystems<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11003356\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to researchers<\/a> and environmental campaigners.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-d54cac\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cPeople in America don\u2019t want to do that,\u201d Ret. Col. Steve Warren, a senior aerospace and defense executive and former spokesperson for the Pentagon, said in an interview in Washington. \u201cThe Chinese are very willing to do that and at a low cost.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__FvnTh styles_medium__MEKii\" id=\"anchor-3e00b4\"><picture class=\"styles_image__i32F7\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"fit\" data-original-height=\"1718\" data-original-width=\"2500\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-Tungsten-rs-848ad3.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-Tungsten-rs-848ad3.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-Tungsten-rs-848ad3.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-Tungsten-rs-848ad3.jpg 1x\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260522-Tungsten-rs-848ad3.jpg\" alt=\"Tungsten cut out isolated on white background\" height=\"1718\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__TCewG\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">Tungsten.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">Sergio Azenha \/ Alamy file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"anchor-25f083\" class=\"body-graf\">After lying dormant for years, the U.S. tungsten industry is in many ways starting from scratch.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-c2fd33\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cThere\u2019s no knowledge. There\u2019s no consultants you can go to. There\u2019s no book you can refer to. All of that knowledge died in the \u201990s,\u201d Black said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-75d37f\" class=\"body-graf\">China didn\u2019t just take market share, he said: \u201cThey also took the human capital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-6ca84f\" class=\"body-graf\">At the Sangdong mine in South Korea, in caverns carved into the mountains, Almonty\u2019s engineers are blasting every day, finding new deposits of tungsten ore that fluoresce electric blue. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-fc146d\" class=\"body-graf\">The mine, which is filled with newly installed high-tech safety features, has long been part of the local landscape and at one point was the backbone of South Korea\u2019s economy. Now that it\u2019s up and running again and tungsten is in demand, Almonty estimates the mine could continue operating for about 100 years.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-0f7a4c\" class=\"body-graf\">At full capacity, Almonty says it will process about 1.2 million tons of tungsten ore a year at the South Korean mine. The company, which last month <a href=\"https:\/\/almonty.com\/almonty-establishes-us-corporate-headquarters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">moved its corporate headquarters<\/a> from Toronto to Dillon, Montana, for the sake of \u201cstrategic alignment\u201d with U.S. defense interests, is also working to reopen a mine in Montana so the U.S. has a domestic supply.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-151d17\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cTo be able to re-establish a tungsten mine in the United States is absolutely critical now and in the future,\u201d said Steve Allen, Almonty\u2019s chief operating officer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/asia\/china-south-korea-tungsten-iran-war-mine-rcna346266\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>YEONGWOL COUNTY, South Korea \u2014 As the United States wages war on Iran, it is burning through stockpiles of advanced weapons and ammunition, including Tomahawk, Patriot and Precision Strike missiles. Replacing them will require a powerful metal, tungsten, whose production and refining is dominated by China \u2014 leading the U.S. to desperately search for it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[171],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-conditions"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39126"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39128,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39126\/revisions\/39128"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}