Iltani Advances Silver-Indium Resource with Broad High-Grade Intercepts at Orient

Significant Intercepts Strengthen Orient Project Outlook

Iltani Resources (ASX:ILT) has delivered another tranche of encouraging assay results from its ongoing 110-hole reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Orient Silver-Indium Project in North Queensland. The latest nine holes reinforce both the grade and continuity of mineralisation across the key Orient East and West zones, while also revealing promising new widths at Vein One, outside the current resource boundaries.

The standout intercept comes from drillhole ORR182 at Orient East, which returned a thick 71-metre interval averaging 81 grams per tonne silver equivalent (Ag Eq), including a high-grade core of 3 metres at 435 g/t Ag Eq. This intercept alone delivered more than 1,000 gram-metres of silver and silver equivalent, underscoring the potential for a robust open pit operation in this area.

Orient East and West Confirm Resource Extension Potential

Drilling at Orient East continues to demonstrate strong grade and width continuity both down dip and along strike, with other notable intercepts including 9 metres at 150 g/t Ag Eq (ORR181) and 16 metres at 146 g/t Ag Eq (ORR186). These results aim to upgrade the resource confidence to the Indicated category by achieving a 40-metre drill spacing over a 520-metre strike and 450-metre down-dip extent.

Meanwhile, the Orient West program is pushing the resource northeast along a 700-metre strike extension, with all four new holes intercepting multiple mineralised zones. Highlights include 11 metres at 101 g/t Ag Eq (ORR169) and 48 metres at 69 g/t Ag Eq (ORR185). These thick intercepts confirm material scope to expand the current mineral resource in this zone.

Vein One Drilling Reveals Wider Mineralisation

Vein One, a historically under-drilled vein system stretching over 750 metres and located less than 150 metres north of Orient East, has yielded its widest intercept to date. Drillhole ORR188 intercepted 24 metres at 68 g/t Ag Eq, significantly wider than previous narrow 2 to 4 metre intercepts. This suggests Vein One could add substantial tonnage to the overall mineral resource, a prospect that Iltani plans to test further with additional shallow drilling before the wet season.

Managing Director Donald Garner emphasised the dual focus of the program: "We continue to see great assay results from the infill drilling designed to increase resource confidence and grade, and now we are starting to see strong results from drilling outside the current resource areas, designed to materially grow the mineral resource."

Path to Updated Resource and Scoping Study

The drilling program is nearing completion, with the 99th hole underway out of the planned 110. Sample turnaround times at the Intertek assay lab in Townsville remain around one to two months. Iltani expects to update the Orient Mineral Resource Estimate in Q4 2026, which will feed directly into a scoping study targeted for early 2027.

This updated resource will provide greater confidence for the potential development of an open pittable silver-indium project, which already boasts a substantial maiden resource of 62.5 million tonnes at 81.5 g/t Ag Eq containing significant indium, lead, and zinc credits. The project’s critical mineral, indium, is increasingly sought after for high-tech applications including touch screens and AI data centre optical transceivers.