All of MMEX's "accomplishments" to date are relatively inexpensive, low-effort props, paid for with other people's money (primarily massive dilution off retail shareholder's backs), all part of a charade designed to sell MMEX shares.
They individually, and in aggregate don't significantly advance the ball in terms of building a Phase I rudimentary topping unit, let alone a full-scale complex refinery.
On the other hand, they do an effective job of deceiving unsophisticated retail investors, with thin to none sector knowledge. MMEX, like all similar share-selling schemes rely on certain characteristics of their retail investor base; lack of sector knowledge, thin knowledge of how large investment transactions are conducted, the unwillingness to read SEC filings, and the companion inability to understand their content, including things like consolidated financial statements, and so on.
Anyone with in-depth sector knowledge, and a solid financial and investing background can evaluate MMEX's "accomplishments" and easily determine they are not definitive, and immaterial.
A classic, and recent example involves MMEX's April shareholder letter, the claims contained therein, and the associated 8-K filing.
MMEX retail investors, by and large are unable to differentiate the 8-K filing referring only to the shareholder letter, and what would have been a (required) 8-K related to a binding, material "term sheet." (which does not exist).
Instead, MMEX retail investors are lathered up, giddy, about a set of vague claims surrounding what must be a non-binding "terms sheet" (if said document even exists), from an unnamed "international debt fund," filled with contingencies, not the least of which is a 20% equity raise ($8-million - $10-million). None of that will happen in the given timeframe.
The only individuals "clutching at straws" are MMEX proponents, who seem unable, or unwilling to read and comprehend the available written documents.
It is certainly not the MMEX proponents that are clutching at straws. Just a quick look at PTL'S sticky above and anyone can clearly see these are not straws but definitive steps on the way to construction of a CDU.