President Donald Trump’s July 20th executive order arrived at a consequential moment for American Tungsten Corp. (TSXV: TUNG | OTCQB: TUNGF | FSE: RK90). The company is advancing the past-producing IMA Mine in Idaho just as Washington is demanding greater visibility into defense supply chains and encouraging contractors to qualify new domestic sources of critical materials.
In a recent InvestorNews interview, Tracy Hughes spoke with CEO and Director Ali Haji about how the executive order strengthens the strategic case for rebuilding tungsten production in the United States. The order restricts waivers for materials from covered nations, requires more extensive supply-chain mapping and directs the accelerated qualification of domestic and allied suppliers.
For American Tungsten, the policy shift supports a strategy already underway at IMA. The company is pursuing a phased development plan beginning with the evaluation and potential processing of historical surface tailings, followed by the rehabilitation and restart of the underground mine.
“We are still aiming and on track to be the first producer of concentrate in North America since 2015,” Haji told InvestorNews.
The company’s immediate milestones are intended to establish whether that ambition can become an economically viable production plan. Haji said an updated mineral resource is expected in August, followed by a preliminary economic assessment before the end of October. American Tungsten is also targeting its first concentrate sale later this year.
Potential customers are already examining the material. Haji said three North American parties have received and tested samples from the IMA Mine, with discussions concerning the tailings approaching commercial terms. Interest in future underground production remains non-binding while the parties await the sustained production profile expected to be outlined in the PEA.
Financing is another part of the development equation. American Tungsten has received a letter of interest from the Export-Import Bank of the United States for potential financing of up to US$25.5 million. The letter is not a commitment to lend, but it establishes a possible route toward project financing if American Tungsten completes EXIM’s requirements and receives final approval.
The company’s argument extends beyond defense. Tungsten is used in semiconductor manufacturing, industrial drilling, aerospace systems and high-temperature applications—placing it inside both the national-security economy and the infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence.
“Tungsten is not going anywhere,” Haji said, pointing to its hardness, heat resistance and limited substitutability.
Policy support cannot replace resource definition, engineering, permitting, financing or execution. American Tungsten must still deliver each of those steps. What Washington’s latest order does provide is a more urgent strategic context for the company’s work: the United States is no longer merely discussing domestic critical mineral capacity; it is beginning to require the supply chains that capacity must support.
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