The conflict in Iran is fueling U.S. chatter about restoring the domestic production of tungsten—a supermetal critical to the defense industry. Tungsten, which is widely used in munitions, reportedly including in Tomahawk missiles, has become exceedingly scarce since China, the leading global producer, put export restrictions on it in 2025. U.S. companies stopped mining tungsten in 2015 when the cost of importing it undercut domestic production costs. But the shortage has spurred some companies to begin exploring U.S. production again. Tungsten is renowned for its hardiness. Of all the elements on the periodic table, tungsten, first isolated in 1783, has…
News Timeline:
Track the development of this news story across the Internet.