Guardian Metal Resources plc announced exploration results from its non-core Nevada project portfolio on July 14, 2026. The company reported significant tungsten, gold, silver, and copper assay results from several projects, including the newly acquired White Elephant and Cinch projects. These results were achieved through channel and grab sampling, alongside the staking of new mining claims to expand the company's landholdings.

The company's non-core portfolio now comprises seven exploration-stage projects. Guardian Metal stated that the Board is assessing various options for these assets to ensure they are advanced for the benefit of existing shareholders, while allowing the company to concentrate resources on its co-flagship Pilot Mountain and Tempiute tungsten projects.

White Elephant Tungsten Project

The White Elephant project, acquired through the staking of 57 new BLM lode mining claims, returned significant tungsten grades. Channel sampling across outcropping scheelite-mineralised skarns yielded an interval of 95 ft (29.0 m) @ 0.31% WO3. This interval included higher-grade sub-intervals of 20 ft (6.1 m) @ 0.44% WO3 and 15 ft (4.6 m) @ 0.47% WO3. Additional highlight results included 10 ft (3.0 m) @ 0.50% WO3 with >0.7% Mo.

Pilot North Tungsten-Copper-Silver Project

Located less than 20 miles from the company's Pilot Mountain project, the Pilot North project was expanded by 8 new BLM lode mining claims. Channel sampling returned significant tungsten assays, including 95 ft (29.0 m) @ 0.18% WO3. High-grade grab sample results included 0.15% WO3 & >1% Cu and 425 g/t Ag & >1% Cu.

Cinch Tungsten-Silver Project

The newly acquired Cinch project, secured via 20 new BLM lode mining claims, yielded significant tungsten and silver assay results from reconnaissance fieldwork. Notable grab samples returned 0.22% WO3 from a brecciated fault zone and 1,950 g/t Ag from quartz vein material in mine dumps.

Garfield Gold-Silver-Copper Project

At the Garfield project, the company staked an additional 56 BLM lode mining claims to cover the new "Freeze South" and "Mother" zones. Significant assay results from rock chip samples included 11.2 g/t Au; 8.55 g/t Au & 7.1% Cu; and 7.2 g/t Au, 114 g/t Ag & 2.3% Cu. A 180 ft (54.9 m) chip channel sample from the "Freeze North" zone returned an average of 0.064 g/t Au, including an interval of 80 ft (24.4 m) @ 0.1 g/t Au.

Oliver Friesen, CEO of Guardian Metal, commented that the generative exploration programme continues to demonstrate value with very strong results across several Non-Core Assets. He highlighted the identification and rapid claim staking of new tungsten projects, including White Elephant and Cinch, as a testament to the team's work.

Guardian Metal Resources PLC has entered into a strategic partnership with the Montana Mining Association (MMA) to advance a tungsten mining and recovery pilot program supporting domestic defense applications. The collaboration involves Montana Technological University (MTU) and the Army Research Laboratory (ARL). This initiative aims to strengthen U.S. economic and defense security by reshoring tungsten production, a metal designated as a strategic priority by the U.S. government.

As part of the agreement, Guardian Metal will supply stockpiled legacy ore from its Tempiute Tungsten project, located near Rachel, Nevada. The Tempiute project, formerly known as the Emerson Tungsten Mine, is a significant past-producing tungsten mine originally discovered in 1916 and most recently operated during the 1980s. The partnership focuses on upscaling domestic tungsten-rich sources from historical mine tailings and legacy ore stockpiles to evaluate pathways toward commercial production of tungsten metal powder for defense-relevant applications.

The pilot program will transport an initial ~250-400 tonnes of stockpiled legacy ore from Tempiute to Philipsburg, Montana. The material will undergo trial processing at a partner milling and processing facility. First shipments are expected by late summer 2026, subject to the completion of metallurgical test work currently underway at partner laboratories in the U.S. and U.K., and pilot-scale test work to be completed on-site in Montana.

Key Partnership Details

Matt Vincent, Executive Director of MMA, emphasized the importance of the partnership to national security and the industry. He stated that Guardian Metal's Tempiute material represents a significant domestic source of tungsten and demonstrates the Association's ability to establish a network of critical minerals projects across the Mountain West.

Oliver Friesen, CEO of Guardian Metal Resources, highlighted the strategic significance of the partnership. He noted that selecting Tempiute as a feedstock source validates the company's Nevada-based tungsten project portfolio. Friesen added that the initiative represents a tangible step toward building a domestic supply chain free from reliance on foreign sources at a time when tungsten supply security is critical to U.S. defense and industrial capability.

If the initial program proves successful, further shipments of tungsten-rich material from Tempiute could be supplied as part of an expanded program. This partnership aligns with Guardian Metal's strategy to advance its co-flagship projects, Tempiute and Pilot Mountain, toward a fully domestic mine-to-market tungsten supply chain.