Ahead of a January 2027 Pentagon Sourcing Rule, Tungsten Projects Outside China Move Into Permits and Restarts

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equity Insider News Commentary - China produced an estimated 67,000 of the world’s 85,000 metric tons of mined tungsten in 2025, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which also reports that China ranked first in the world in tungsten resources and reserves. The USGS lists no U.S. mine production for either 2024 or 2025. With a Pentagon sourcing restriction set to reach back to the mine on January 1, 2027, companies in the U.S. and allied countries are moving tungsten and other critical-mineral projects through permitting, restarts and new funding. Companies mentioned in today’s commentary include: Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2), Blue Moon Metals Inc. (NASDAQ: BMM) (TSXV: MOON), Idaho Copper Corporation (NYSE American: COPR), Trilogy Metals Inc. (NYSE American: TMQ) (TSX: TMQ), Tungsten West PLC (AIM: TUN). A Market Shaped by Export Controls On February 4, 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs issued a notice to impose export control on 25 rare metal products in five categories and related technologies, covering tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium, according to the ministry. The USGS notes that at the end of 2024 the United States, under section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974, increased tariffs to 50% on several tungsten products from China, and that in February 2025 China implemented new export controls on selected tungsten items. As a result, prices rose sharply throughout 2025, the agency said, with Rotterdam prices for ammonium paratungstate (APT) increasing from $331 to $675 per metric ton unit. The U.S. depends on outside material for much of its supply. According to preliminary USGS data, U.S. imports of tungsten ores and concentrates reached 2,620 metric tons (tungsten content) in the first seven months of 2026, compared with 1,900 metric tons for all of 2025. An estimated 60% of the tungsten consumed in the United States was used in cemented carbide parts for cutting and wear-resistant applications, primarily in the construction, metalworking, mining, and oil- and gas-drilling industries, and the USGS counts seven U.S. companies with the capability to convert tungsten concentrates, APT, tungsten oxide and scrap into tungsten metal powder, tungsten carbide powder and tungsten chemicals. The 2027 Deadline Defense procurement adds a fixed date. Under Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement clause 252.225-7052, which cites 10 U.S.C. 4872, effective January 1, 2027, the restriction on tungsten metal powder, tungsten heavy alloy and components containing tungsten heavy alloy from covered countries includes mining or production of a tungsten ore or feedstock, including recycled material. The covered countries are North Korea, China, Russia and Iran. Through December 31, 2026, the restriction applies to covered material melted or produced in those countries. Federal money is following. On September 14, the Department of War announced a $450 million redeemable preferred equity investment in a U.S. tungsten processor that it said will also establish the only independent ammonium paratungstate facility in North America, describing APT processing as one of the largest chokepoints across the U.S. industrial base. The department said China currently dominates an estimated 85 percent of global tungsten supply. A Return to Drilling in New Mexico In New Mexico, a historic tungsten property is moving through federal permitting. Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2) announced that on October 22, 2026, a 43 CFR 3809 Exploration Notice was submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Cruces District Office for its Eagle Point Tungsten Project in Hidalgo County, New Mexico. Prepared and filed on the company’s behalf by KC Harvey Environmental, LLC, the notice covers 17 HQ core holes from 12 drill pads, approximately 0.56 mile of temporary connector roads and one laydown area, for a total of 1.71 acres of surface disturbance on BLM-administered and private land. The planned program totals approximately 6,000 feet, with planned hole depths of 164 to 820 feet designed to test the steeply dipping skarn contact, and Western Star believes it will be the first drilling at Eagle Point in more than 70 years. The company has a surface use agreement in place with the private surface owner covering road access and all proposed activities on private land, and it is tendering drilling contractors, setting up field logistics and finalizing collar locations using its Leapfrog Geo model. The notice describes an operating period from December 2026 through December 2027. Before drilling begins, the company will submit a Minimal Impact Exploration Operation permit application to the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division, make well and plugging filings with the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer and post a reclamation financial guarantee. Drill targets were refined using the company’s 2026 surface mapping and sampling program. In its October 7 release, Western Star reported that 14 of 23 surface samples from Eagle Point returned more than 0.10% WO3, including grab samples of up to 0.55% WO3, from scheelite-bearing skarn along the limestone-granite contact. The company also holds the White Star Tungsten Project and the Rowland Tungsten Property in Elko County, Nevada. “Our 2026 surface work gave us clear targets along the granite contact, and this program is designed to test them beneath surface exposures and talus cover,” said Blake Morgan, CEO and President of Western Star. CONTINUED... Read this and more news for Western Star Resources Inc. at: equity-insider.com Restarts, Permits and Federal Backing In Nevada, Blue Moon Metals Inc. (NASDAQ: BMM) (TSXV: MOON) announced on September 14 a US$150 million to US$175 million investment into its Springer Tungsten Complex in Imlay, Nevada, alongside a U.S. tungsten processor and an Australian-listed tungsten producer. Blue Moon says Springer historically was one of the largest tungsten mines in the United States; the complex includes open pit and underground mines, a 1,200 Tpd mill and an APT plant. The facility is permitted for construction and received approval of its bonding requirements from the State of Nevada on August 20, 2026. Blue Moon has said the mine and mill are expected to be back in production in Q4 2027, and the APT plant is expected to be restarted in the second half of 2028. “This is a great day for the U.S. with regards to providing a major boost to the U.S. tungsten supply chain,” said Christian Kargl-Simard, CEO and Director of Blue Moon. Federal approvals for exploration are a milestone elsewhere in the West as well. Idaho Copper Corporation (NYSE American: COPR), which is advancing the CuMo copper-molybdenum-silver project in Idaho, said on September 22 that the U.S. Forest Service, Boise National Forest, approved its Exploration Plan of Operations and its 2026 annual operating plan for exploration, clearing the way for drilling and roadbuilding and maintenance activities to commence. The approved plan is effective for six years from the first day of operations, inclusive of final reclamation. “In a country where federal permitting is often the single largest obstacle impeding advancement of a critical minerals deposit, that is a meaningful achievement,” said Andrew Brodkey, Chief Executive Officer of Idaho Copper. In Alaska, Trilogy Metals Inc. (NYSE American: TMQ) (TSX: TMQ) reported in its October 2 quarterly results the closing on September 11, 2026 of a $35.6 million strategic equity investment by the Department of War. A coordinated federal and state permitting schedule published for its Arctic Project sets an estimated 29-month integrated review timetable targeting a Record of Decision in September 2028, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in September 2026. “With a defined permitting timeline, the investment by the U.S. Government, and a clear line of sight to a Record of Decision, Arctic is well positioned to become a cornerstone of a secure, domestic copper supply chain,” said Tony Giardini, President and CEO of Trilogy Metals. Allied supply is being rebuilt as well. In the U.K., Tungsten West PLC (AIM: TUN) said in its September 3 annual results that it has commenced operation of the fines gravity circuit and has produced tungsten and tin concentrate as part of its restart plans at Hemerdon. In August 2026, the company announced an investment of up to £71 million from the UK Government’s National Wealth Fund, which it said ensured it is fully funded through to full production, and it remains on track to complete its restart construction activities by the end of Q1 2027. “Initial production is already underway, and we look forward to the progress towards full commissioning in Q1 2027 (calendar year),” said Jeff Court, CEO of Tungsten West. Track the Signals Before the Crowd Tungsten and critical-minerals stocks can move on a permit, a federal award or a trade action, and attention often builds before the crowd notices. Eagle Eye is a real-time investor signal-intelligence platform that surfaces sentiment shifts, news flow and trending tickers as they form. Watch it live at eagle-eye.dev. Article Source: Western Star Resources Inc. news releases dated October 7 and October 27, 2026. 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