Sidney Resources Corp.: Sidney Resources Confirms Successful Metallurgical Isolation of Iridium at Warren District

WARREN, ID / ACCESS Newswire / January 12, 2026 / Sidney Resources Corporation (OTCID:SDRC) ("Sidney" or the "Company") is pleased to report a significant metallurgical milestone achieved through ongoing processing and testing at its Warren District project in Idaho. Recent work has successfully produced metallic smelter "buttons" containing iridium, marking a key technical advancement in the Company's polymetallic development program.

Figure 1: Heavy mineral concentrate prior to smelting. Material shown has been upgraded through gravity separation and represents pre-concentrated feed rather than raw ore. This step physically increases metal content prior to thermal processing.

The smelter buttons represent the final product of gravity separation followed by smelting and are not raw rock or unprocessed concentrate. This progression - from mineralized material to physically isolated metal - reflects the transition from geochemical identification to demonstrable metal recovery, a critical step in reducing technical risk at the project level.

Figure 2: Microscopic view of bronzite-rich concentrate prior to smelting.
Angular silicate grains are visible alongside dense metallic phases. The heterogeneous texture is consistent with platinum group metal (PGM) systems, where ultra-rare metals such as iridium occur in localized grains rather than uniformly distributed.

Iridium is among the rarest elements on Earth, estimated to be approximately 40 times rarer than gold, with global annual production of roughly 7-10 tonnes. The metal is considered strategically important due to its use in defense, aerospace, nuclear, and advanced electronics applications. At present, the United States has no meaningful domestic primary supply of iridium.

Figure 3: Concentrate during active smelting. Elevated temperatures allow dense metallic phases to coalesce while silicate material separates into slag, producing recoverable metallic smelter "buttons" used for analytical testing.

Independent energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) testing conducted on the smelter buttons confirms iridium present in concentrated material at approximately 390 to 1,120 parts per million (ppm), equivalent to roughly 12.5 to 36 ounces per ton. By comparison, prior bulk ore testing returned iridium at sub-ppm or background levels. These results demonstrate orders-of-magnitude enrichment achieved through physical processing, consistent with early-stage metallurgical success for ultra-rare PGMs.

Figure 4: Metallic smelter button following gravity concentration and smelting. Iron-rich alloy containing iridium and associated metals. Independent XRF testing confirmed significant iridium enrichment relative to raw ore, demonstrating successful physical metal recovery.

While XRF is a semi-quantitative, spot-based analytical method and not a final assay technique, it is appropriate at this stage to confirm the presence and relative concentration of target metals. The Company notes that iridium has been detected consistently across multiple samples, scans, and testing dates. Sidney intends to advance this work through bulk homogenized sampling and fire-assay-based platinum group metal (PGM) methods as metallurgical optimization continues.

Independent laboratory assays conducted by Institut für Materialprüfung Glörfeld GmbH on raw ore samples from the Warren District confirmed the presence of iridium at approximately 0.2 grams per tonne (g/t) in mineralized rock prior to any physical processing. These results represent ore-stage values and are reported in grams per tonne, the standard unit used for precious metal analysis in raw geological material. Copies of the independent Glörfeld assay certificates are available on the Company's website.

The iridium concentrations reported elsewhere in this release in parts per million (ppm) or ounces per ton refer specifically to metallic smelter button material (sometimes referred to as doré), which represents the final product of gravity concentration followed by smelting. These values do not reflect the grade of the original ore, but rather the degree of enrichment achieved through physical processing.

Additional analytical work conducted through a separate U.S.-based laboratory program at PTOE Labs evaluated raw ore, gravity table feed, concentrates, and smelter button material, and similarly confirmed the presence of iridium across multiple stages of processing. Results from this independent program demonstrate consistent and progressive enrichment of iridium as material advances from ore to metallic product, consistent with expected behavior in platinum group metal systems.

For context, iridium is one of the rarest elements in the Earth's crust and is almost exclusively produced globally as a byproduct of nickel, copper, or PGM mining, where head grades are typically measured in fractions of a gram per tonne. The detection of iridium at measurable ore-stage levels, followed by substantial concentration into metallic smelter buttons, supports the conclusion that iridium is a genuine component of the Warren District mineral system and that the Company's processing workflow is successfully concentrating this ultra-rare metal.

The recovered smelter buttons are iron-rich metallic alloys, a result that is both expected and positive in PGM systems. Iron commonly acts as a carrier phase for PGMs during early metallurgical processing and does not preclude further separation or upgrading. In addition to iridium, analytical results indicate the presence of gold, silver, other PGMs, tungsten, and rare earth element pathfinder metals in the buttons and associated slag, supporting the Company's view that the Warren District hosts a polymetallic mineral system with multiple potential value streams.

Importantly, this metallurgical progress was achieved over a period of weeks, reflecting rapid iteration and a tight operational feedback loop between field sampling, processing, and analytical review. While this work does not constitute a mineral resource or reserve estimate and economic parameters have not yet been established, it demonstrates that Sidney has successfully converted mineralized material into recoverable metal and verified its composition.

The Company will continue metallurgical testing and evaluation as part of its broader development strategy at the Warren District.

About Sidney Resources Corporation

Sidney Resources Corporation (OTCID: SDRC) is a U.S.-based mineral exploration and development company focused on rare earth elements, gold, silver, tungsten, and platinum group metals in Idaho's historic Warren Mining District. The Company controls over 4,000 acres of patented and unpatented mineral rights and is expanding its footprint by an additional 7,600 acres through 380 newly staked mining claims targeting REE-bearing pegmatites and historically productive mineral systems.

Recent metallurgical work has demonstrated successful gravity concentration and smelting of polymetallic material, including the physical recovery of platinum group metals. Sidney is advancing scalable processing pathways while developing responsible mining and bioremediation technologies to support long-term, environmentally conscious operations.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to future events, including our ability to raise capital, or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause materially different results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the OTC Markets Group Inc. Our public filings with the OTC Markets Group Inc are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the OTC Markets at https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/SDRC/disclosure

For more information on Sidney Resources Corporation and its ESG initiatives, visit: https://sidneyresources.com/about-us/sustainability/

For further information, contact:
Dan Hally
COO, Sidney Resources Corporation
Phone: [phone]
[e-mail]
Website: https://sidneyresources.com/

SOURCE: Sidney Resources Corp.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/metals-and-mining/sidney-resources-confirms-successful-metallurgical-isolation-of-iridium-at-warren-1126257