Mr. Dean Pekeski reports

AMERICAN CRITICAL MINERALS COMPLETES DRILLING OPERATIONS AT THE AP-S-02 DUMA POINT WELL CONFIRMING POTASH MINERALIZATION AND DEEP BRINE AQUIFERS

American Critical Minerals Corp. has successfully completed drilling and coring operations at the Duma Point AP-S-02 well, located at the company's Green River project located 20 miles west of Moab, Utah.

Highlights

The Duma Point AP S-02 well was strategically positioned approximately 2,000 feet from a historic oil and gas well to validate historical drill data that reported 5.9 metres grading 24.3 per cent KCl (potassium chloride) within Cycle 5.

The well is located at the northern portion of the project, near Anson Resources' Green River lithium project, which was recently permitted for production of up to 10,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year.

American Critical Minerals is pleased to confirm:

• The presence of sylvite mineralization within the Cycle 5 potash bed, supporting the historical potash data.
• The potential for lithium- and bromine-bearing brines within two prospective zones: the Paradox formation and Leadville formation. Brine samples from these zones have been collected and submitted for laboratory analysis.

The Duma Point AP-S-02 well

The purpose of the Duma Point AP-S-02 well was 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.

The Duma Point AP-S-02 reached a total depth of 2,818 metres (9,245 feet) on Sept. 13, 2026, signalling a key milestone for the project and the company. During initial on-site core handling and visual logging of the recovered core, the company confirmed the presence of sylvite mineralization within the Cycle 5 potash bed. The well also fully intersected the Paradox and the upper Leadville formations encountering all expected clastic and limestone units that could be sources of lithium and bromine bearing brine.

To complement the core recovery and aquifer identification, the company acquired a comprehensive suite of downhole wireline geophysical logs (elogs) to characterize the subsurface stratigraphy and support interpretation of the targeted potash- and brine-bearing intervals.

Potash

The completed wireline data provides positive support for the presence of the Cycle 5 potash unit consistent with historic drilling results from the Quintana Fed 1-1 well, located approximately 0.6 kilometre (approximately 2,000 feet) east-northeast of the current well. The Quintana Fed 1-1 well intersected the Cycle 5 potash bed reporting a grade of 24.3 per cent eKCl from elogs over a thickness of 5.9 m (19.4 feet). Interpretation of the wireline geophysical responses from the Duma Point AP-S-02 well indicates that the targeted potash intervals occur at depths and apparent thicknesses consistent with those identified in the historically completed Quintana Fed 1-1 well. Initial analysis of the wireline geophysical logs from the Duma Point AP-S-02 well also shows strong correlation with the potash grades and thicknesses reported from the Cycle 5 potash bed from the Quintana Fed 1-1 well.

The Cycle 5 potash core is currently being logged, photographed and prepared for shipment to the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) in Saskatoon, Sask., where it will undergo detailed geochemical analysis. The company will provide updates as results become available.

Lithium and bromine aquifers

The downhole wireline geophysical logs also allowed for the interpretation of potential lithium and bromine brine aquifers within the Paradox and Leadville formations. Two drill stem packer tests were completed targeting the Leadville formation limestone unit, and lower clastic units of the Paradox formation. These formations are the same geologic units that Anson Resources Ltd. has been developing as part of their lithium development projects contiguous to the northern and southern boundaries of the company's Green River project. Brine was successfully sampled from both of these units and will be submitted to ACZ Laboratories Inc. located in Steamboat Springs, Colo. The company will provide updates as results become available.

The well has been cemented and abandoned according to requirements and stipulations found within the state permit for the well. It is expected that the rig will be demobilized by approximately Sept. 25, 2026.

Dean Pekeski, president and chief executive officer, stated: "We are very happy to have completed our inaugural drill program at the Green River project. I want to thank our technical team and drilling contractors for the safe, efficient, and successful execution of this program, which recovered potash core as planned and anticipated. The potash core recovered and the positive gamma ray responses from elogs that appear to be consistent with historic results is a significant and positive milestone for our company. We are also happy to report that possible lithium and bromine brine aquifers have been sampled. We look forward to final geochemical results in the near future."

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.

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 (eK2O equals 19 per cent to 29 per cent potassium chloride based on elog (eKCl)). Its target for further exploration for lithium and bromine is 2.1 billion cubic metres brine volume grading 71.6 to 216.3 ppm Li and 3,656 to 4,741 ppm Br.

The company holds a 100-per-cent interest in 11 SITLA mineral 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 potash 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, 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 National Instrument 43-101.

We seek Safe Harbor.