Mr. Dean Pekeski reports

AMERICAN CRITICAL MINERALS ANNOUNCES THE EXECUTION OF THE DRILLING CONTRACT WITH DRAKE WELL SERVICE AND MOBILIZATION TO THE GREEN RIVER PROJECT

American Critical Minerals Corp. has executed a service contract with J.A. Drake Well Service,Inc. to provide drilling services for the company at its 100-per-cent-owned Green River project, located in Utah.

The purpose of the Duma Point AP-S-02 well is to validate historic drill data and test, through coring and brine sampling, the key Paradox formation potash horizons as well as the clastic brine-bearing zones for lithium and bromine in the Paradox and Leadville formations. It is expected to take approximately 35 days to complete.

The company has completed drill site preparations in anticipation of drilling. Casing has been purchased, and all other subcontractors have been identified and secured. The Drake drill rig is in the process of mobilization, and drilling operations are expected to commence shortly.

The location is strategically positioned 2,000 feet away from the historic Quintana Fed 1-1 oil and gas well, which intercepted thick potash zones within Cycle 5 of the Paradox formation, which has been mined for over 50 years at the nearby Moab mine. Downhole geophysical logs measured eK2O equal to 24.3 per cent potassium chloride based on elog (eKCl)) over 5.9 metres.

This well is located in the northern portion of the project, which sits adjacent to Anson Resources' Green River lithium project, a 10,000-tonne-lithium-carbonate-equivalent-per-year project that recently received all major permits and is advancing through feasibility.

Historic 2-D seismic data show that the well location is within a flat-lying portion of the regional antiform (see news release dated Oct. 15, 2025), that was selected as a high-priority drill target as part of the company's National Instrument 43-101 technical report (see news release dated Feb. 5, 2026). Flat-lying potash beds within this type of antiform could be amenable to solution mining. The seismic data also indicate that the brine-bearing Leadville formation and Paradox clastic zones dip north-northeast, with structural lows and localized closures favouring accumulation of lithium- and bromine-bearing brines should they be intersected.

Dean Pekeski, chief executive officer and president of the company, stated: "After extensive planning, we are now ready to complete our first well at the Green River project. I look forward to spudding this inaugural well and reaching our core point and brine sample zones. Completion of this first well will be an important step in the evolution of our company and should provide strong validation of the historic drill data on and surrounding our project."

The company has engaged Respec Company LLC to execute the 2026 drill program (see news release dated April 23, 2026). The company has in place all the necessary regulatory requirements, including the notice of intent (NOI), a storm water pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) and bonding approval (see news release dated May 26, 2026).

The drilling program includes conventional potash core recovery for assay to determine grade and thickness of potash intersections. Core will also be sampled and analyzed for geomechanical properties. All detailed core logging, sampling and preparation will take place at the Respec materials testing laboratory in Rapid City, S.D. Potash core analysis will occur at the SRC (Saskatchewan Research Council) laboratory in Saskatoon, Sask., an internationally recognized facility for specialized potash ore analysis.

Brine sampling will occur upon completion of well drilling and geophysical logging. The intervals targeted for brine sampling will be based on the collected drilling data, including mud-logging information, core recovery details and the wireline logging results. Wireline sampling tools and packer and drill stem testing will be utilized to sample the brines and measure formation flow capacities. ACZ Laboratories Inc., located in Steamboat Springs, Colo., will conduct geochemical analysis of recovered brine samples from the well.

About American Critical Minerals' Green River potash and lithium project

The Green River project is situated within Utah's highly productive Paradox basin, located 20 miles northwest of Moab, Utah. It 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 derisking the potential for high-grade potash and large amounts of contained lithium. Wells in and around the project reported lithium up to 500 parts per million, bromine up to 6,100 ppm and boron up to 1,260 ppm (Gilbride and Santos, 2012). These data are reinforced by nearby potash production and the advanced stage of neighbouring lithium projects. The Paradox basin is believed to be one of the biggest sources of lithium brines in the United States (source: Anson Fastmarkets presentation).

The company has disclosed targets for further exploration at the Green River project consisting of 500 million to 950 million tonnes of sylvinite (the most important source for the production of potash in North America) grading from 12 per cent to 18 per cent potassium oxide based on elog (eK2Oequal to 19 per cent to 29 per cent potassium chloride based on elog (eKCl)). Its target for further exploration for lithium and bromine is 600,000 to 1.7 million tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent grading from 91 to 152 ppm and 3.3 million to 9.1 million tonnes bromine grading from 2,647 to 4,412 ppm.

The company holds a 100-per-cent interest in 11 SITLA (School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration)m ineral and minerals salt leases covering approximately 7,050 acres, 1,094 federal lithium brine claims (Bureau of Land Management 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 byproducts across the entire Green River project (approximately 32,530 acres). The company is authorized to drill a total of seven drill holes across the Green River project.

America's largest potash company and only U.S. domestic producer 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. Anson Resources Ltd. has advanced lithium development projects contiguous to the northern boundary of the company's Green River project and neighbouring to the south. Anson has a large initial resource and a 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.

The United States imports more than 90 per cent of its potash demand (U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January, 2025). In November, 2025, the Department of Interior added potash to its list of critical minerals, which already includes lithium. Recent market estimates suggest that the global potash market is over $50-billion (U.S.) annually and growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of close to 5 per cent. Annual lithium demand is now estimated to be over one million tonnes globally and continuing to grow rapidly.

Qualified person

The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dean Besserer, PGeo, the chief operations officer of the company and a qualified person for the purposes of NI 43-101.

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