Overview

• A White House photo shows Army Chief Asim Munir presenting a wooden box of what it described as rare earth minerals to President Donald Trump as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif looked on.
• The Oval Office discussion lasted about 90 minutes and included Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to multiple reports.
• The outreach follows September 8 memorandums of understanding with Missouri-based United States Strategic Metals covering exports and a proposed polymetallic refinery, with an initial phase of roughly $500 million.
• Intelligence-linked reporting and analysts frame the presentation as a calculated bid to leverage minerals for a closer strategic and economic partnership with the United States and to diversify away from China.
• Coverage notes the samples were described as purported rare earths and that verification, security conditions in key mining regions such as Balochistan, and commercial timelines remain unresolved even as Pakistani sources cite strong U.S. interest.