The ongoing conflict in Iran is prompting discussions in the U.S. about reviving domestic tungsten production, a supermetal vital to the defense sector.
Tungsten, extensively used in munitions, including Tomahawk missiles, has become scarce following China’s decision to restrict its export in 2025. The U.S. ceased tungsten mining in 2015 due to the lower cost of imports, but the current shortage is driving renewed interest in domestic extraction.
Renowned for its durability, tungsten boasts the highest melting (6,192 degrees Fahrenheit) and boiling points (10,706 degrees F) among elements, as well as the greatest tensile strength of all metals. Its density surpasses that of lead, making it ideal for armor-piercing and bunker-busting munitions.
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In 2025, China accounted for over 78 percent of the world’s tungsten supply, nearly 94,000 tons, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey. Since the restrictions, tungsten ore costs have risen globally, though recent months have seen a sharp price decline in the U.S., as analyzed by Scientific American using BusinessAnalytiq data.
On February 27, in light of the tungsten shortage, the Pentagon urged over 1,500 military-related companies and academic institutions to boost domestic production, according to Reuters. The following day, the U.S. commenced strikes against Iran.
Within four weeks, the U.S. had launched over 850 Tomahawk missiles, exceeding nine times the Department of Defense’s typical annual procurement, as per the Washington Post. Additionally, the U.S. utilized at least 40 of its 90 “Precision Strike Missiles,” which disperse more than 180,000 tungsten pellets in midair. In February, these missiles were reported by the New York Times to have detonated over civilian areas in Lamerd, Iran.
Given the renewed strikes, the use of such weapons is expected to increase. NBC News highlighted that defense industry leaders plan to discuss the dwindling missile supply with the White House.
The U.S. holds significant tungsten reserves in the western regions, according to a USGS report. Beyond weaponry, tungsten is essential for cutting and drilling tools.
“Your general construction of any sort of infrastructure would be close to impossible without using tungsten, tungsten carbide or tungsten-tipped tools,” states Ali Haji, CEO of American Tungsten.
Haji explains that mined tungsten ore is processed into a concentrate, converted into ammonium paratungstate (APT), and then heated and reduced with hydrogen to produce tungsten powder for manufacturers.
American Tungsten aims to have its Idaho mine operational by 2027, supplying 8 percent of U.S. tungsten demand. In February, the company reported promising exploration results indicating substantial tungsten trioxide and silver deposits.
Although tungsten is nontoxic, its mining byproducts, or tailings, can contain harmful metals like arsenic, copper, zinc, and lead, potentially contaminating the environment. Haji asserts their mine avoids these issues by drilling above the water level.
“We’ve got no discharge coming out from the site, and the grades are, generally speaking, three times higher than the global average that’s in production today,” Haji notes.
Almonty Industries, a global mining firm, acquired a tungsten mine in Montana last year and has since moved its headquarters from Toronto to the state.
The U.S. government is also backing domestic tungsten initiatives. Last January, the Department of Energy awarded Texas-based MELT Technologies over $5.7 million for tungsten carbide production. The Department of Defense provided a $6.2-million grant to Guardian Metal Resources for a Nevada mine study. Scientific American did not receive comments from either company.
“Developing a domestic source for tungsten is one of our top critical and strategic mineral priorities,” stated Vic Ramdass, acting assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, in a press release about the 2025 grant to Guardian Metal Resources.
Scientists are exploring tungsten’s potential in nuclear fusion reactor shielding. In 2024, French and American researchers managed to contain plasma at 50 million degrees Celsius for six minutes using a tungsten-clad tokamak. However, Princeton’s Plasma Physics Laboratory’s Luis Delgado-Aparicio describes handling tungsten as akin to “trying to pet the wildest lion.”
With tungsten supplies limited, U.S. industries are adapting. Oil and gas drill bit manufacturers are switching to steel, which wears out faster.
Haji expresses hope that the U.S. government will support emerging domestic tungsten suppliers.
“I think some of that responsibility falls upon the government to put some sort of price protection in place, should the Chinese flood the market again,” he says.
“Companies such as ourselves have deployed a lot of capital to bring North American production online.”
