The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a temporary administrative injunction blocking the federal government from completing a land swap with Rio Tinto and BHP that is required to build the Resolution Copper mine in Arizona. The transfer of federally owned forest land had been scheduled for this week but will remain on hold while the court reviews an emergency motion filed by the San Carlos Apache tribe and conservation groups. The Apache argue that the proposed underground mine would destroy Oak Flat, a site they consider sacred, and threaten local water supplies and the environment. The court said it takes no position on the merits of the case but ordered expedited briefing, with all filings due by 14 October, effectively delaying the transfer for at least two months. President Donald Trump condemned the ruling in a Truth Social post, calling the panel a "radical left court" and warning that the delay jeopardises roughly 3,800 jobs and the nation’s supply of a critical industrial metal. Trump’s comments followed a White House meeting with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the chief executives of Rio Tinto and BHP, who sought support for the long-stalled project. Resolution Copper, 55 % owned by Rio Tinto and 45 % by BHP, is designed to operate more than 2 km underground and, according to the companies, could supply about a quarter of U.S. copper demand for up to four decades. The project has been in permitting and litigation for nearly twenty years; final environmental approval was granted in June, but opponents secured the latest injunction on 19 August. Rio Tinto and BHP said they remain confident the land transfer will ultimately be upheld, while tribal leaders urged the administration to reconsider what they called a giveaway of U.S. mineral resources to foreign companies. The appeals court has not yet set a date for oral arguments.