China controls a metal that’s key for the Iran war, sending the U.S. on a global hunt for more

The United States is burning through weapons stockpiles in Iran, and replacing them will require large amounts of tungsten, a powerful metal whose supply is dominated by China.

YEONGWOL COUNTY, South Korea — As the United States wages war on Iran, it is burning through stockpiles of advanced weapons and ammunition, including Tomahawk, Patriot and Precision Strike missiles. Replacing them will require a powerful metal, tungsten, whose production and refining is dominated by China — leading the U.S. to desperately search for it elsewhere.

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Tungsten is used in fighter jets, bunker buster bombs, armor-piercing rounds and missile systems, making it indispensable for national defense. But the U.S. has had no active commercial tungsten mines since 2015, and the Trump administration has made it a mission to curb dependence on the Chinese supply.

A mining district in China’s Inner Mongolia region in October.Fred Dufour / NBC NewsOne place the metal can be found is in the mountains of eastern South Korea, at a mine owned by a U.S. company that holds millions of tons of tungsten ore.