Gold extended gains on Friday as the US–Iran nuclear standoff escalated, with spot prices up 1.2% to above $5,250/oz and silver jumping 6% to $94/oz. Bullion has rebounded from last month’s 10% single-day crash, remains about 20% higher year-to-date, and is holding technical support above $5,000/oz. Inflows into gold-backed ETFs this week have more than offset late-January outflows, while traders also price in potential 2026 US rate cuts flagged by Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee.

Enaex Argentina has commissioned a 100% electric mechanised emulsion charging unit at the Minera Santa Cruz San José underground gold-silver mine, a joint venture originally formed by Hochschild Mining and Minera Andes (now McEwen Mining). The battery-powered system replaces diesel charging units in production stopes, cutting local emissions and heat load in confined headings. For mine engineers, the move supports ventilation-constrained deepening and offers a reference case for fully electric blasting logistics in narrow-vein underground operations.

Dateline Resources is moving into heavy rare earths by acquiring the Music Valley project in Riverside County, California, covering 57 mining claims over 1,140 acres with historical USGS rock chips grading 6.69%–15.04% TREO and a fractionated HREE signature rich in yttrium and dysprosium. The deal includes a US$1 million investment in Fermi Critical Minerals, adding exposure to drill‑permitted uranium and rare earth projects in Wyoming and Colorado. Music Valley complements Dateline’s Colosseum project in the Mojave Desert, which hosts a 1.1‑million‑oz JORC‑2012 gold resource in a Mountain Pass‑style geological setting.