Yeah, one of my points is that Trump has urged leaders to steal Iranian oil since the late '80's, so we know and agree on that.
"Look, Iran is extremely mineral rich Country, I didn't have to look up for an AI to answer my questions...."
Also, no one here has to go to AI for comment, just AI often does a good job (personally, mostly a better job than i could do off the top), as it did there, so why not.
The site you have used there looks a good one: Rare Earth Elements and Iran: A New Geopolitical Front
February 2026
Caner Can PhD Candidate at the University of Groningen
The recent posture of the United States (the U.S.) administration regarding Venezuela and Greenland has prompted China to pose a pointed question: “Which country is next?” As protests have recently spread across Iran, global attention has pivoted toward Tehran.
Iran has lived with sanctions for many years. And still does. Despite facing financial isolation and a rigorous sanctions regime imposed by the U.S., Iran has managed not only to survive but to shift regional power balances in its favor. This resilience is anchored in the country’s “Resistance Economy” model, a strategy developed in response to external pressures and driven by internal dynamics.
Traditionally characterized by its vast hydrocarbon wealth, Iran is also ranked among the world’s top 15 mineral-rich nations. Various sources indicate that the country possesses more than 7% of the world’s proven mineral reserves (The Investment and Economic and Technical Assistance Organization of Iran, 2026). A report by Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines & Agriculture corroborates this, valuing the country’s tremendous resource base at an estimated US$27.3 trillion (TCCIMA, 2026). Hosting 68 different types of minerals, Iran utilizes approximately 6,000 active mines across 15,000 sites, holding 57 billion tons of proven reserves. This sector generates over $770 billion in economic value, positioning Iran 6th globally in zinc reserves, 7th in copper, 9th in iron ore, and 5th in gypsum and barite according to the report.
A new era focused on Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) in Iran began in 2015 with the production of the first mischmetal ingot composed of four rare earth elements (REEs), cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, and yttrium, and developed in collaboration with the Rare Earth Elements Unit at the Iran Mineral Processing Research Center (IMIDRO, 2015), followed by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran’s announcement of a strategy to process REEs simultaneously with uranium in 2020 (Press TV, 2020). This strategic pivot materialized further with the launch of specific infrastructure investments in 2023 (Nuclear Engineering International, 2023). Pursued with the dual goals of cost optimization and meeting domestic market demand, this initiative entered a mature phase in the same year when the National Mining Center of Iran declared capability in separating seven critical elements essential for advanced technology: praseodymium, neodymium, cerium, yttrium, mischmetal, ferrotitanium, and lanthanum.
The country’s mining focus shifted significantly in 2023 following the discovery of 8.5 million tons of lithium reserves based on hectorite clay in Hamadan (CNBC, 2023).This discovery positioned Iran as a high-potential player in the global supply chain. Subsequently, in January 2025, Iran signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement with Russia (President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2025). Expanding its strategic footprint via South-South cooperation, Tehran initiated negotiations with Bolivia in March 2025 to jointly develop REEs deposits in Palca and Cerro Manomó, offering to finance projects and provide geological mapping technology to bypass Western reliance (Intellinews, 2025). This partnership targets strategic minerals like neodymium and lanthanum, aiming to industrialize Bolivia’s resources while securing Iran’s access to critical inputs outside the reach of Western sanctions. Tehran’s claim to independence in this sector was further reinforced by the operational launch of a monazite processing plant in April 2025, a facility constructed entirely through domestic engineering.
The U.S. viewed Iran’s January 2025 cooperation with Russia, combined with the “25-Year Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement” signed with China in March 2021, and Tehran’s expanding its strategic footprint in Latin America via South-South cooperation, as the foundational steps toward a new axis of resource dominance. This axis, forming generally within the BRICS framework and specifically in the regional context, excludes the U.S. and is materializing through the domain of CRMs. It is undeniable that one of the primary factors compelling the US Administration to adopt a tougher stance toward Iran recently is this emerging geo-economic reality.
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