US eyes minerals in occupied Western Sahara
Seeking to position itself as a key supplier of strategic minerals for Western powers, Morocco has signed a new agreement with the United States that covers Western Sahara’s waters and the critical minerals harboured there.
On 4 February 2026, Morocco and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Washington on cooperation and investment in the exploration and extraction of critical minerals. According to Moroccan and US officials, the agreement is intended to strengthen supply chains for minerals deemed essential for energy transition, defence technologies and advanced manufacturing.
Spanish media reportthat the agreement explicitly refers to offshore mineral resources, including seabed deposits along Morocco’s Atlantic coast. These waters overlap with maritime zones claimed by Spain in relation to the Canary Islands, as well as with the waters off the coast of Western Sahara, a territory recognised by the United Nations as non-self-governing, that has been largely under illegal occupation by Morocco since 1975.
Morocco unilaterally expanded its claimed maritime zones in 2020, extending its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf to include waters off Western Sahara. As Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory separate from Morocco, these maritime claims are not internationally recognised and lack any legal foundation.
Any unilateral exploitation of seabed minerals in disputed maritime areas risks contravening international law and the mandate of the International Seabed Authority, which regulates mineral activities in international waters, beyond national jurisdictions.
While the MoU does not explicitly mention Western Sahara, it fits into a broader pattern in which Morocco promotes investment in natural resources located in or adjacent to the illegally occupied territory. International law is clear that Western Sahara is separate and distinct from Morocco, and any exploitation of its natural resources requires the consent of the Saharawi people.
“The Trump administration is approaching Western Sahara as if it were a commercial asset rather than an unresolved decolonisation issue,” says Sara Eyckmans from Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW). “By framing the territory’s land and waters as part of a minerals deal with Morocco, the United States risks treating international law as an obstacle to be bargained away. The entry of the US into the occupied territory undermines any peace talks that seek to fulfil the Saharawi people’s right to self-determination.”
The Atlantic waters between the south of Morocco, the Canary Islands and Western Sahara harbour dozens of seamounts - including the well-known Mount Tropic that is one of the world's largest deposits of tellurium and cobalt - that, according to experts, contain significant quantities of iron, manganese, nickel, copper, arsenic, and chromium. All of these are used in batteries, renewable energy technologies, electronics and military applications. The US government has increasingly pursued agreements covering these minerals in order to reduce reliance on Chinese-controlled supply chains.
Notably, Spain did not participate in the meeting in Washington, despite being directly affected by the maritime areas concerned through the Canary Islands. Several other European countries were reportedly present, making Spain’s absence particularly notable.
The agreement was signed 4 days before the US hosted talks in Madrid between Moroccan officials and the UN-recognised representative of the Saharawi people, the Polisario Front, reportedly related to Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara. The timing underscores how economic and strategic cooperation with Morocco is advancing in parallel with - rather than in resolution of - the Western Sahara conflict.
WSRW reiterates that governments and companies must ensure full compliance with international law and must refrain from engaging in activities that may contribute to the exploitation of Western Sahara’s natural resources without the consent of its people.
