Mr. Shawn Westcott reports

OPHIR MOBILIZES CREW FOR CESIUM CHANNEL SAMPLING PROGRAM ON HW3 PEGMATITE AT PILIPAS PROPERTY, JAMES BAY, QUEBEC

Ophir Metals Corp. has mobilized crews to complete a channel sampling program at its HW3 lithium-cesium pegmatite on the Pilipas lithium property, located in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec. Pilipas is located proximal to existing hydroelectric power that flanks the property to the east, an all-season road that bisects the western side of the property and is situated in highly prospective greenstone terrain.

The program is designed to further evaluate cesium mineralization and outcrop dimensions at the HW3 pegmatite, which returned 14.2 per cent cesium oxide (Cs2O) and 0.71 per cent Li2O from an outcrop grab sample collected during the 2024 surface exploration program. Following receipt of initial results, a brief one-day site visit was completed to the HW3 outcrop to further evaluate the cesium occurrence, where crews utilized a hand-held XRF (X-ray fluorescence) to evaluate additional areas of elevated cesium and collected an additional three grab samples from the outcrop for analysis. Assay results are still pending from the lab for these samples.

The HW3 pegmatite is characterized by an outcrop that is approximately 20 metres in length by 15 metres in width and is located approximately 60 metres east of the Billy Diamond Highway and immediately proximal to existing infrastructure. The current follow-up program will focus on collecting saw-cut channel samples to better assess the grade-width of the mineralization present. Channels may effectively act as horizontal drill holes across the outcrop and attempt to delineate distribution of pollucite mineralization over widths at HW3, which is more representative than a point grab sample. Prior to cutting of the channels, hand stripping of the overburden will be completed to the north and east, where the outcrop remains open. The cesium at HW3 is interpreted to be present in pollucite, a rare mineral typically associated with highly fractionated rare element pegmatites. Samples have been sent for detailed mineralogy with results pending.

"As we wait on the final assay results from the summer spodumene-focused drill program to be returned from the lab, we are extremely excited to get crews back out to Pilipas. The discovery of high-grade cesium during the 2024 surface sampling program proximal to the existing road network provided the opportunity to further evaluate the pegmatite late in the season. The goal is to better define the distribution of pollucite mineralization at the HW3 outcrop to help guide exploration efforts at Pilipas as we enter 2025," commented Shawn Westcott, chief executive officer of Ophir Metals.

Cesium is listed as a critical mineral in Canada. To qualify as a critical mineral, the commodity must have a supply chain that is threatened and a reasonable chance of being produced in Canada. It must also meet one of the following criteria: be essential to Canada's economic or national security; be required for the transition to sustainable low carbon and digital economy; and/or position Canada as a sustainable or strategic partner within global supply chains.

Cesium has multiple commercial applications from drilling fluids to a variety of chemical and electrical applications. Cesium isotopes are used as an atomic frequency standard within atomic clocks and play a vital role in global positioning systems (Global Positioning System), aircraft guidance systems and the implementation of 5G Internet and cellular telephone transmissions.

Due to the lack of global supply, one of the only primary cesium mines in operation, the Tanco mine in Manitoba faced fierce international competition for the supply of the mine's cesium. The Tanco mine is also evaluating options for a long-term redevelopment in order to extract the remaining cesium that is contained within the mine. It has been estimated that the Tanco mine contains up to two-thirds of the world's known reserves of cesium.

Quality assurance/quality control

All samples were collected in the field using a hammer and chisel. Locations were obtained using a hand-held GPS or tablet with samples placed in prelabelled sample bags. Metal tags with the sample numbers and flagging tape were left at each sample location. Samples were securely transported by field staff to SGS Canada's laboratory in Radisson, Que., for standard sample preparation (Code PRP90), which includes drying at 105 C, crushing to 90 per cent passing two millimetres, riffle splitting 250 grams and pulverizing 85 per cent passing 75 microns. The pulps were then shipped to SGS Canada's laboratory in Burnaby, B.C., where they were subsequently analyzed for multielement (including lithium and tantalum) using sodium peroxide fusion with ICP-AES/MS finish (Code GE_ICM91A50). Gold analysis was performed using gold by fire assay (Code GE_FAA30V5) and cesium overlimit analysis completed by acid digest for alkaline elements (Code GC_AAS49C). A QA/QC protocol was incorporated into the program and included the insertion of certified reference material at and silica blanks at a rate of approximately 5 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively. SGS Canada is independent of the company.

Management cautions that prospecting surface rock samples and associated assays, as discussed herein, are selective by nature and represent a point location and therefore may not necessarily be fully representative of the mineralized horizon sampled. In addition, assay results from the exploration program have not yet been received and may change the interpretation of exploration results. Management also cautions that Tanco mine in Manitoba is not owned by the company and its mineralization is not indicative to the presence of mineralization on the Pilipas property. The company considers the Pilipas property to host significant potential for spodumene pegmatite due to its favourable greenstone geological setting, regional faulting, sheer zones and hinge fold, as well as anomalous geochemistry and numerous documented occurrences of tourmaline in white pegmatites.

Qualified person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Nathan Schmidt, PGeo, senior geologist for Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., a registered special authorization holder with Ordre des Geologues du Quebec (AS-10512) and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 on standards of disclosure for mineral projects.

Mr. Schmidt has verified all scientific and technical data disclosed in this news release, including the sampling and QA/QC results, and certified analytical data underlying the technical information disclosed. Mr. Schmidt verified the data disclosed (or underlying the information disclosed) in this news release by reviewing the assay data and checking the performance of blank samples and certified reference materials. Mr. Schmidt detected no significant QA/QC issues during review of the data and noted no errors or omissions during the data verification process. The company and Mr. Schmidt do not recognize any factors of sampling that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the data disclosed in this news release.

About the Pilipas lithium project

In December, 2023, the company entered into an option agreement with Azimut Exploration Inc. to earn 70-per-cent interest in the Pilipas property consisting of 135 claims totalling 7,100 hectares situated within the La Grande subprovince (Archean Superior province). It is primarily underlain by volcano-sedimentary rocks (greenstone) of the Lower Eastmain greenstone belt: conglomerate, sandstone, basalts and felsic to intermediate tuffs. Two regional northwest-southeast dextral faults transect the southwestern and northeastern parts of the property.

Radis project

Ophir also announces that it has terminated the option to earn a 100-per-cent interest in the Radis property over a three-year period from Eastmain Resources Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fury Gold Mines Ltd.

About Ophir Metals Corp.

Ophir Metals is a diversified mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and development of the Pilipas lithium property in James Bay, Quebec, and the past-producing Breccia gold property located in Lemhi county, Idaho.

Ophir holds an option to earn a 70-per-cent interest in the Pilipas property over a three-year period from Azimut Exploration and an option to earn a 100-per-cent interest in the Breccia property.

We seek Safe Harbor.