Trump-backed push for deep-sea mining 'unlawful': international regulator

Key points

• Deep-sea mining companies face a blizzard of litigation if they forge ahead with "unlawful" plans backed by U.S. President Donald Trump to dig critical minerals from the ocean floor, the head of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) told AFP on Friday (May 22, 2026).
• The UN-backed body is tasked with setting regulations for deep-sea mining in international waters, and is currently drafting the founding set of rules for the polarising industry.
• Frustrated after years of waiting for this legal framework, a string of companies have declared they will sidestep the authority and instead start mining using untested U.S. laws.
• ISA Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho said she would "firmly consider this to be unlawful activity".
• "No entity alone, no country alone, no investor alone has the right to benefit or tap into resources in the areas outside of its jurisdiction," she told AFP.