Empire Metals Limited (LON:EEE), the AIM-quoted and OTCQB-traded exploration and development company,is pleased to announce the commencement of a major drilling campaign at the Pitfield Project in Western Australia (‘Pitfield’ or the ‘Project’). This programme will target high-grade titanium mineralisation within the in-situ weathered cap at the Thomas Prospect, with the objective of delivering a maiden JORC Compliant Mineral Resource Estimate (‘MRE’).

Highlights

• A total of 164 drill holes planned:
  • 124 Air Core (‘AC’) drillholes for approximately 6,700 metres, and
  • 40 Reverse Circulation (‘RC’) drillholes for approximately 4,000 metres,
  • totalling 10,700 metres of drilling.
• The Thomas Prospect was selected for the maiden MRE due to the extensive, thick and high-grade titanium mineralisation hosted within the broad, in-situ weathered zone.
• This programme, the largest at Pitfield to date, will cover over 11 square kilometres and aims to deliver a globally significant MRE.
• Notable intercepts within the in-situ weathered cap from previous drilling at Thomas include:
  • 51m @ 7.88% TiO₂ from surface (AC25TOM039)
  • 57m @ 7.48% TiO₂ from surface (AC25TOM040)
  • 52m @ 7.43% TiO₂ from surface (AC25TOM042)

Shaun Bunn, Managing Director, said:‘We are pleased to commence this important drilling campaign at Pitfield, focused on delivering our maiden MRE from the Thomas Prospect.The Thomas Prospect contains broad, continuous, high-grade zones of high-purity titanium dioxide mineralisation within the in-situ weathered cap: confirmed by assay results from the February 2025 AC drill campaign, averaging 6.20% TiO₂ over an average depth of 54m (announced 28 April 2025).

‘This fully funded campaign, scheduled to run over the next four to five weeks, is the largest undertaken to date at Pitfield. With 164 holes planned over an 11 square kilometre area and to an average depth of 65 metres, this work is designed to deliver a globally significant Mineral Resource Estimate.’

MRE Drilling Programme

The location and spacing of the planned AC drillholes have been designed, with the input of mineral resource consultants Snowden-Optiro, to provide the necessary drill assay data density to allow the preparation of an MRE at the Thomas Prospect. The programme consists of 124 AC drillholes, on a 400 x 200m drillhole-spaced grid with an average forecast depth of 54.1m, for a total of 6,700 metres, and 40 RC drillholes within the AC drilling grid, to a depth of 100m, for a total of 4,000 metres. The overall drillhole grid extends 5.2km by 2.2km and totals an area of 11.4 sq km (refer Figure 1).

The drilling is targeting the near surface, highly weathered zones within the Thomas Prospect; drilling has now commenced and will run over several weeks, with laboratory analysis scheduled for completion in August.

Figure 1. Planned Air Core drill hole collar locations within the Thomas Prospect priority area.

The near-surface, in-situ weathered cap at the Thomas Prospect contains a high percentage of the key titanium bearing minerals, primarily anatase and rutile. The drilling targets areas were selected on the basis of three key parameters: high-purity TiO₂ mineral assemblage, high average TiO₂ grades and significant depth of weathering (refer Table 1).

The AC and RC drillholes will be geologically logged and sub-sampled on 2m intervals and geochemically analysed; this data will provide the basis for geological modelling and for the development of the MRE at the Thomas Prospect.

Air core drilling has previously been utilised at Pitfield to drill-test the weathered cap and collect bulk metallurgical samples (announced 28 April 2025). It is a cost-effective and efficient drilling method that is commonly used for shallow exploration projects and the success of the previous campaign confirmed its suitability for the preparation of the MRE.

Table 1: Weathered Zone drill intercepts from the Thomas Prospect (previously released results) including high-grade intervals to be followed up by MRE drilling

The Pitfield Titanium Project

Located within the Mid-West region of Western Australia, near the northern wheat belt town of Three Springs, the Pitfield titanium project lies 313km north of Perth and 156km southeast of Geraldton, the Mid West region’s capital and major port. Western Australia is ranked as one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world according to the Fraser Institute’s Investment Attractiveness Index published in 2023, and has mining-friendly policies, stable government, transparency, and advanced technology expertise. Pitfield has existing connections to port (both road & rail), HV power substations, and is nearby to natural gas pipelines as well as a green energy hydrogen fuel hub, which is under planning and development (refer Figure 2).

Figure 2. Pitfield Project Location showing the Mid-West Region Infrastructure and Services

Competent Person Statement

The technical information in this report that relates to the Pitfield Project has been compiled by Mr Andrew Faragher, an employee of Empire Metals Australia Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire. Mr Faragher is a Member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr Faragher has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the ‘Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves’. Mr Faragher consents to the inclusion in this release of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, as incorporated into UK law by the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, until the release of this announcement.

**ENDS**

For further information please visit www.empiremetals.co.uk or contact:

About Empire Metals Limited

Empire Metals is an AIM-listed and OTCQB-traded exploration and resource development company (LON: EEE) with a primary focus on developing Pitfield, an emerging giant titanium project in Western Australia.

The high-grade titanium discovery at Pitfield is of unprecedented scale, with airborne surveys identifying a massive, coincident gravity and magnetics anomaly extending over 40km by 8km by 5km deep. Drill results have indicated excellent continuity in grades and consistency of the mineralised beds and confirm that the sandstone beds hold the higher-grade titanium dioxide (TiO₂) values within the interbedded succession of sandstones, siltstones and conglomerates. The Company is focused on two key prospects (Cosgrove and Thomas), which have been identified as having thick, high-grade, near-surface, bedded TiO₂ mineralisation, each being over 7km in strike length.

An Exploration Target* for Pitfield was declared in 2024, covering the Thomas and Cosgrove mineral prospects, and was estimated to contain between 26.4 to 32.2 billion tonnes with a grade range of 4.5 to 5.5% TiO₂. Included within the total Exploration Target* is a subset that covers the weathered sandstone zone, which extends from surface to an average vertical depth of 30m to 40m and is estimated to contain between 4.0 to 4.9 billion tonnes with a grade range of 4.8 to 5.9% TiO₂.

The Exploration Target* covers an area less than 20% of the overall mineral system at Pitfield which demonstrates the potential for significant further upside.

Empire is now accelerating the economic development of Pitfield, with a vision to produce a high-value titanium metal or pigment quality product at Pitfield, to realise the full value potential of this exceptional deposit.

The Company also has two further exploration projects in Australia; the Eclipse Project and the Walton Project in Western Australia, in addition to three precious metals projects located in a historically high-grade gold producing region of Austria.

*The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Target is conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

Click here to connect with Empire Metals (OTCQB:EPMLF, AIM:EEE) to receive an Investor Presentation

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Bullet briefing — Glencore restructures, Anglo completes spinoff

Glencore restructuring move sparks M&A talk

Commodities giant Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) has quietly moved billions worth of global coal and ferroalloys assets into an Australian subsidiary.

The Australian Financial Review was the first to report the news, and it’s already sparked speculation about renewed M&A talks between Glencore and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO). The two major companies reportedly engaged in discussions last year, but in the end did not move forward.

With this restructuring from Glencore and Rio Tinto’s CEO due to step down later this year, market watchers see potential for a deal to be done.

Anglo American spins off Valterra Platinum

Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:AAUKF) made headlines elsewhere this week as the firm finished demerging its platinum-group metals unit, Valterra Platinum (JSE:VAL).

Valterra, formerly Anglo American Platinum, began trading on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange on May 28, and will have a secondary listing in London as of June 2.

Anglo made the decision to spin off Valterra after heading off a US$49 billion takeover bid from BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) last year. The company embarked on a restructuring plan that will see it hone in on copper and iron ore.

Interestingly, Valterra’s debut comes alongside a platinum price boost. The metal recently broke out to its highest level in about two years, nearly reaching US$1,100 per ounce.

Edward Sterck of the World Platinum Investment Council believes it’s too soon to tell whether the rise is sustainable, but he does see a ‘perfect storm’ brewing for platinum.

Here’s how he explained it:

I think platinum’s fundamentals are just highly attractive at the moment. You’ve got really constrained supply, you’ve got demand that is actually beginning to show some real signs of growth, driven principally by an inflection in jewelry demand and by ongoing growth in investment demand.

And so given those things are resulting in these really significant deficits — this is the third year of almost a million ounces of deficit out of an 8 million ounce market — those are just rapidly depleting those aboveground stocks … this has all generally come together as a perfect storm. We are seeing that tightness in the market, and I feel quietly optimistic that we’re going to see that long-awaited price response come through.

Watch the full interview for a more in-depth look at supply and demand dynamics for platinum.

Government scrambles to contain fallout

First Nations leaders, including the Chiefs of Ontario, have demanded the bill be scrapped entirely, arguing the government has already breached its legal obligation to engage in meaningful consultation from the outset.

Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict, who met privately with Ford last week, described the discussions as frank, but necessary. That meeting, according to the provincial government, catalyzed a round of renewed engagement, with Greg Rickford, minister of Indigenous affairs and Stephen Lecce, minister of energy and mines, pledging not to move forward with the Ring of Fire designation without further consultation.

“We will not use the authorities like a special economic zone until we’ve meaningfully consulted,” Lecce said.

Rickford added, “We are going to enunciate explicitly in each one that the duty to consult is there and it will be upheld to the highest standards. The aim is to make First Nations partners.”

Officially titled the ‘Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act’, Bill 5 was unveiled at the Toronto Stock Exchange in April, with Ford and Lecce framing it as a decisive response to geopolitical tensions.

They also positioned it as a means of asserting control over Canada’s critical mineral resources.

“With President Trump taking direct aim at our economy, it cannot be business as usual,” Ford said at the time, referencing the US push to prioritize domestic mineral supply chains.

The bill grants the province sweeping new powers to revoke mining claims, restrict foreign ownership — particularly from “hostile regimes” — and override environmental and regulatory hurdles.

It also proposes replacing Ontario’s Endangered Species Act with a narrower Species Conservation Act, a change that environmentalists warn could spell extinction for at-risk wildlife.

“The definition of habitat is so narrow that what it means is less habitat than the species has now,” Laura Bowman of Ecojustice told CBC when the bill was introduced. “And less habitat than the species has now, for a species already in decline, virtually ensures extirpation or extinction.”

US$3.1 billion budget boost targets Indigenous inclusion

Even as heated discourse unfolds with Ontario’s First Nations, the province unveiled last week a massive C$3.1 billion investment to supercharge the province’s mining and energy infrastructure.

The 2025 budget includes a tripling of the Indigenous Opportunities Financing Program, which has been expanded to support Indigenous participation across the mining, pipeline and energy sectors.

Minister of Finance Peter Bethlenfalvy emphasized that the goal is “unlocking the province’s critical mineral reserves” while placing Indigenous partnerships “at the forefront of the province’s resource development strategy.”

The program is designed to offer loan guarantees that enable Indigenous communities to secure equity stakes in major projects — a model that First Nations have long advocated for as a way to transform economic marginalization into opportunity.

National parallels in BC’s Bill 15 battle

Ontario’s retreat on consultation provisions follows similar tensions in BC, where Premier David Eby is facing backlash over Bill 15 — a legislative proposal that would allow cabinet to fast-track infrastructure and resource projects deemed of “provincial significance,” including critical minerals development.

Eby unveiled a broad vision this week to unlock billions in investments in Northwest BC, emphasizing partnerships with Indigenous communities and positioning mining as central to both economic recovery and climate transition.

But critics argue the rhetoric masks a legal and ethical failure.

“Trust has been broken between First Nations and the David Eby government,” Tsartlip First Nation Chief Don Tom said bluntly. Calling Eby a “snake oil salesman,” Tom accused the provincial government of undermining true consultation, while pushing legislation that could override Indigenous opposition.

Like Ontario’s Bill 5, BC’s Bill 15 is being slammed as a dangerous precedent that gives the government outsized power to override environmental protections and community consent.

Both the BC and Ontario governments are facing similar dilemmas on the acceleration of critical minerals development to meet global demand while tempering their legal and moral obligations to stakeholders.

The minerals — including nickel, lithium and rare earth elements — are essential to the green energy transition, forming key components of batteries, solar panels, and electric vehicles.

Still, First Nations are demanding that any progress must start not only with a recognition of their economic potential, but of their right to self-determination and free, prior and informed consent.

White House reacts swiftly, blasts judicial overreach

Trump administration officials reacted with fury to the trade court’s initial decision, describing it as an affront to executive authority in foreign policy and economic matters.

“The political branches, not courts, make foreign policy and chart economic policy,” the White House said in its appeal filing. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed similar concerns on Thursday, saying:

“America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges.”

Trump himself took to social media on Thursday morning to vent, writing: “Hopefully, the Supreme Court will reverse this horrible, Country threatening decision, QUICKLY and DECISIVELY.”

He later added: “This would completely destroy Presidential Power — The Presidency would never be the same!”

Peter Navarro, Trump’s top trade advisor, also signaled that the administration was already exploring alternatives, stating that even if it lost the battle in the Supreme Court, it “will do it another way.”

The Wednesday judgment had required the White House to make changes within 10 days.

The administration responded by notifying both the trade court and the appellate court of its intent to challenge the ruling all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary.

“TACO trade” meme gains steam as Trump backpedals

Adding to the storm surrounding the tariffs is growing traction of the term “TACO trade” — a satirical acronym coined by Financial Times columnist Robert Armstrong that stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out.”

The phrase has caught fire on Wall Street and social media, referring to Trump’s habit of threatening steep tariffs, only to roll them back amid market backlash or diplomatic pressure.

The phenomenon was on full display last month, when Trump announced what he called “Liberation Day,” unveiling sweeping tariffs as high as 145 percent on imports from nearly every major trading partner.

Within a week, those tariffs were scaled down to a baseline 10 percent. Duties on Chinese goods were first reduced to 30 percent and then to 10 percent, while deadlines for tariffs on European goods were postponed.

On Wednesday, visibly irritated by the nickname, Trump lashed out at a reporter who asked about the “TACO trade” label. “Oh, I chicken out. Isn’t that nice? I’ve never heard that,” Trump said, bristling at the question.

“You call that chickening out? It’s called negotiation,” he added.

“Six months ago, this country was stone cold dead. We had a dead country. We had a country that people didn’t think was going to survive. And you ask a nasty question like that,’ Trump continued.

Despite his protests, “TACO trade” has become a viral symbol of his erratic approach to global commerce. California Governor Gavin Newsom mocked the administration after the trade court ruling, saying, “It’s raining tacos today.”

So far, the administration’s tariffs on steel, aluminum and cars remain untouched by the ruling.