Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Iranian metals industry generates billions of dollars for the regime, contributing to its nuclear weapons program.
China’s $3B copper mining deal in Afghanistan, the largest foreign investment in the country’s history, is going nowhere. 10 years into a 30 year lease, supply chain problems are keeping any copper from being extracted at all.
Steadily rising global copper prices have spurred US production, up 21% since 2011. Although Chinese demand has softened somewhat, copper from mines in the Southwest should flow into Texas, Florida, and California as they rebuild from natural disasters.
