Pakistan has dispatched its first shipment of rare earth elements and critical minerals to the United States under a new $500 million agreement with US Strategic Metals.
The September 8 deal, signed in the presence of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, is aimed at building secure supply chains for defense, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
The initial cargo includes antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earths such as neodymium and praseodymium.
Officials said the agreement could generate billions for Pakistan, whose natural resources are valued at $6 trillion, while offering Washington a safeguard against reliance on external monopolies.