Star Metro - American Critical Minerals Confirms Annual Renewal of all Potash Licenses and Lithium Claims across the Green River Project

The Company has Permits in place to drill 3 holes on its State of Utah Leases following the payment of required reclamation bonding in respect of these holes. In addition, under the Plan of Operations approved by the BLM in October 2024, the Company is also authorized to drill 4 holes across its Federal (BLM) acreage. The Company has now finalized with the BLM and the Utah Department of Natural Resources, the additional reclamation bonding required to receive final permits to drill these 4 additional holes. Once this additional bonding is paid by the Company it will be in position to drill up to 7 holes in total across the Green River Project.

Unlike its near neighbors, who are focused on either potash production (Intrepid Potash: https://www.intrepidpotash.com) or advanced lithium development (Anson Resources: https://www.ansonresources.com), the Company is looking to develop both potash and lithium. Historic oil and gas wells, and development work contiguous to the Company's Green River Project, have highlighted the potential for both Critical Minerals and the Company will test for both potash and lithium in each hole it drills. * **

Management Commentary

Simon Clarke President & CEO stated, "we are pleased to continue to make strong progress operationally as we continue to position the Company to launch drilling to confirm the historic values obtained in the oil and gas wells drilled across, and around, our acreage. We will be targeting the same potash cycles that our near neighbour, Intrepid Potash, has been producing from for decades and given our Project is contiguous with Anson's project to the North and adjacent to their project to the South, we are highly confident that "as the meat in the sandwich" we will experience similar results on the lithium side. Speaking of Anson, I would like to commend them for their continued strong performance. Their MOU with POSCO Holdings and their definitive offtake agreement with LG Energy Solution, both major players in the lithium-Ion Battery space, are impressive and provide strong validation of the Paradox Basin as a major source of high-quality lithium.

In the interim, we are excited to continue to progress work with Agapito Associates LLC (announced in late July 2025) to define a 43-101 Exploration Target for lithium reflecting the growing importance of lithium in the Paradox and its potential at Green River. This work will also lead to our 43-101 Technical Report** being updated and refreshed and will provide us with 43-101 Exploration Targets for both critical minerals as we position ourselves for confirmation and resource Drilling. We expect to be able to finalize this work with Agapito in the near future."

Granting of Incentive Securities

The Company also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 660,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") to certain of its directors, officers and key advisors. The Options vest over a period of one year and each Option is exercisable to acquire one common share at $0.38 for a period of 5 years from the date of grant. In addition, the Company has granted an aggregate of 540,000 Restricted Share Units ("RSUs") to certain of its directors, officers and key advisors. The RSUs vest and convert into an equivalent number of common shares after thirty-six months, subject to accelerated vesting in the event the closing price of the common shares of the Company is $0.875 or greater at any time, or upon the occurrence of a change of control event for the Company.

About American Critical Minerals' Green River Potash and Lithium Project

The Green River Potash and Lithium Project is situated within Utah's highly productive Paradox Basin, located 20 miles northwest of Moab, Utah and has significant logistical advantages including close proximity to major rail hubs, airport, roads, water, towns and labour markets. It also benefits from close proximity to the agricultural and industrial heartland of America and numerous potential end-users for its products.

The history of oil and gas production across the Paradox Basin provides geologic data from historic wells across the Project, and the wider Basin, validating and de-risking the potential for high grade potash and large amounts of contained lithium. Wells in and around the project reported lithium up to 500 ppm, bromine up to 6,100 ppm and boron up to 1,260 ppm (Gilbride & Santos, 2012). This data is reinforced by nearby potash production and the advanced stage of neighbouring lithium projects. The Paradox Basin is believed to contain up to 56 billion tonnes of lithium brines, potentially the largest such resource in US (Source: Anson Fastmarkets Presentation - https://wcsecure.weblink.com.au/pdf/ASN/02823465.pdf ) The Company also has a 43-101 Exploration Target of 600 million to 1 billion tonnes of sylvinite (the most important source for the production of potash in North America) with average grades ranging from 19% to 29% KCL.**

The Company holds a 100% interest in eleven State of Utah ("SITLA") mineral and minerals salt leases covering approximately 7,050 acres, 1,094 federal lithium brine claims (BLM Placer Claims) covering 21,150 acres, and 11 federal (BLM) potash prospecting permits covering approximately 25,480 acres. Through these leases, permits and claims the Company has the ability to explore for potash, lithium and potential by-products across the entire Green River Project (approx. 32,530 acres). The Company is authorized to drill a total of 7 drill holes across the Project (pending bonding the recently approved 4 drill holes).

Intrepid Potash, Inc. is America's largest potash company and only U.S. domestic potash producer and currently produces potash from its nearby Moab Solution Mine, which the Company believes provides strong evidence of stratigraphic continuity within this part of the Paradox Basin (www.intrepidpotash.com). Anson Resources Ltd. has advanced lithium development projects contiguous to the northern boundary of our Green River Project and neighbouring to the south. Anson has a large initial resource, robust definitive feasibility study and has recently completed successful piloting operations through its partnership with Koch Technology Solutions, as well as an offtake agreement with LG Energy Solution. The Anson exploration targets encompass the combined Mississippian Leadville Formation and the Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation brine-bearing clastic layers, which also underlie American Critical Minerals' entire project area (www.ansonresources.com)*.

In 2022, the U.S. imported approx. 96.5% of its annual potash requirements with domestic producers receiving a higher sales price due to proximity to market (intrepidpotash.com/ August 15, 2024, Investor Presentation). In March 2024, the US Senate introduced a bill to include key fertilizers and potash on the US Department of Interior list of Critical Minerals which already includes lithium, and this process is well advanced with potash being added to the USGS Draft Critical Minerals List. In August 2025. Recent market estimates suggest that the global potash market is over US$50 billion annually and growing at a compound annual growth rate ("CAGR") of close to 5%. Annual lithium demand is now estimated to be over 1 million tonnes globally and continuing to grow rapidly. * **

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Simon Clarke, President & CEO

Contact: (604)-551-9665

*American Critical Minerals' management cautions that results or discoveries on properties in proximity to the American Critical Minerals' properties may not necessarily be indicative of the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties.

**A report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report - Green River Potash Project, Grand County, Utah, USA", prepared by Agapito Associates Inc., and dated effective September 12, 2012, quantifies the Green River Potash Project's potash exploration potential in the form of a NI 43-101 Exploration Target. The Exploration Target estimate was prepared in accordance with the National Instrument 43-101 -Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). It should be noted that Exploration Targets are conceptual in nature and there has been insufficient exploration to define them as Mineral Resources, and, while reasonable potential may exist, it is uncertain whether further exploration will result in the determination of a Mineral Resource under NI 43-101. The Exploration Target stated in the Agapito Report is not being reported as part of any Mineral Resource or Mineral Reserve. A copy of the report can be accessed on the corporate website for the Company: www.acmineralscorp.com

***United States Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2024 (https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2024/mcs2024-potash.pdf).

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information
This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from this forward-looking information include those described under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's most recently filed MD&A. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the intended use of proceeds from the Offering. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that such expectations will prove to be correct. All such forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. This information, however, is subject to a variety of risks and information.

SOURCE: American Critical Minerals Corp.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

S.Clark--SMC