MIDDLE EAST

Middle East critical minerals coverage tracks the region’s emergence
as a strategic actor in global supply chains — less through primary
mining than through sovereign capital deployment, processing investment,
and industrial diversification. Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden operates the
world’s largest integrated phosphate complex and is advancing copper,
gold, and zinc production from the Arabian Shield under Vision 2030’s
National Mining Strategy. The UAE’s Emirates Global Aluminium is one
of the world’s five largest aluminium producers. Gulf sovereign wealth
funds — including PIF, Mubadala, and ADIA — have committed billions
to critical mineral projects globally. This section covers regional
mining, processing, and investment developments shaping the Middle East
critical minerals landscape in 2026.