Ariana Regulatory News (AAU)

14 July 2025

AIM: AAU

OPERATIONAL UPDATE: TAVSAN

Heap-leach pads complete, hot-commissioning underway

Operational status expected from late July

Ariana Resources plc ("Ariana" or "the Company"), the AIM-listed mineral exploration and development company with gold project interests in Africa and Europe, is pleased to announce the commencement of hot-commissioning of the processing plant at the Tavsan Mine ("Tavsan" or "the Project") in Türkiye, in which Ariana has a 23.5% interest.  This is an important step towards commencement of gold processing operations at Tavsan, the Company's second operating gold mine in Türkiye. 

Highlights:

· Tavsan Mine is expected to achieve operational status from late July 2025, ready for the commencement of gold production from the heap-leach. 

· Heap-leach pads are completed, with overliner aggregate currently being laid ahead of ore loading, which will follow the conclusion of statutory government inspections.

· Hot-commissioning of the crushing and screening plants and cold-commissioning of the agglomerator is complete.

· Approximately a year of full ore production remains stockpiled ready for loading, with crushing and screening of this material now underway.

· Overland conveyors installed with their liners and with testing due to commence imminently.

· Testing of the Adsorption-Desorption-Recovery ("ADR") system underway, with pumps being installed for the pregnant and barren ponds.

· A second water well to ensure adequate water availability for the operation is being drilled to a maximum depth of 500m (currently at 200m).

· Resource and exploration drilling programme ongoing, having completed over 6,000m of an up to 15,000m programme and testing the potential for increases in the life of mine.

Dr. Kerim Sener, Managing Director, commented:

"It is a pleasure to report further substantial progress over the past month at the Tavsan mine site. The Tavsan operation is nearing final commissioning ahead of ore loading onto the heap-leach pad, which is expected from later this month. The Zenit team is working around the clock to ensure that all remaining system tests are completed on the plant and heap-leach areas ahead of statutory government inspections, before the operation proceeds to production. Meanwhile, high-grade ore continues to be prioritised for processing through the CIL plant at Kiziltepe, while we prepare for the processing of the stockpile of heap-leachable ore on site, ready for loading onto the pads.

"We are very much looking forward to achieving the first gold pour from the Tavsan mine, enabling the first in-situ gold production from our second mine in Türkiye. The amount of work completed in recent months and the level of professionalism of the Zenit team and its contractors are nothing short of extraordinary. We congratulate the team on their collective efforts and wish them a successful start to heap-leach operations at Tavsan."

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of UK Domestic Law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("UK MAR").

Figure 1: General site view at Tavsan showing the mine offices in the foreground with crushers, screens and agglomerator shown towards the top right. The overland conveyors to the Phase 1 heap-leach pad are installed and run diagonally across the image. Photograph taken in late-June 2025.

Figure 2: General site view at Tavsan encompassing the latest status of the Phase 1 heap-leach area, with the ADR plant and pregnant and barren ponds in the foreground. Overliner aggregate is being spread over the Phase 1 heap-leach pad. Photograph taken in early-July 2025.

Enquiries:

Beaumont Cornish Limited ("Beaumont Cornish") is the Company's Nominated Adviser and is authorised and regulated by the FCA. Beaumont Cornish's responsibilities as the Company's Nominated Adviser, including a responsibility to advise and guide the Company on its responsibilities under the AIM Rules for Companies and AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely to the London Stock Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for and will not be responsible to any other persons for providing protections afforded to customers of Beaumont Cornish nor for advising them in relation to the proposed arrangements described in this announcement or any matter referred to in it.

About Ariana Resources:

Ariana is an AIM-listed mineral exploration and development company with an exceptional track-record of creating value for its shareholders through its interests in active mining projects and investments in exploration companies. Its current interests include a major gold development project in Zimbabwe, gold production in Türkiye and copper-gold exploration and development projects in Cyprus and Kosovo.

Ariana owns 100% of the Dokwe Gold Project ("Dokwe") in Zimbabwe. Dokwe is made up of the Dokwe North and Dokwe Central gold deposits which are located in the Tsholotsho District near the city of Bulawayo. The deposits have a combined in-pit JORC Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resource of over 1.42 million ounces of gold (as at March 2025) and the project represents the largest undeveloped gold project in Zimbabwe.

The Company holds 23.5% interest in Zenit Madencilik San. ve Tic. A.S. a joint venture with Ozaltin Holding A.S. and Proccea Construction Co. in Türkiye which contains a depleted total of c. 2.2 million ounces gold equivalent (as at March 2024, using a price ratio of 90 Ag to 1 Au). The joint venture comprises the Kiziltepe and Tavsan mines and the Salinbas project.

The Kiziltepe Gold-Silver Mine is located in western Türkiye and contains a depleted JORC Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resource of 171,700 ounces gold and 3.3 million ounces silver (as at March 2024). The mine has been in profitable production since 2017 and has been producing at an average rate of c.22,000 ounces of gold per annum. A Net Smelter Return ("NSR") royalty of 2.5% on production is being paid to Franco-Nevada Corporation.

The Tavsan Gold Mine is located in western Türkiye and contains a JORC Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resource of 311,000 ounces gold and 1.1 million ounces silver (as at March 2024). Following the approval of its Environmental Impact Assessment and associated permitting, Tavsan is being developed as the second gold mining operation in Türkiye and is currently in construction. The Tavsan processing plant is expected to achieve operational status in July 2025, ready for gold production from the heap-leach. A NSR royalty of up to 2% on future production is payable to Sandstorm Gold.

The Salinbas Gold Project is located in north-eastern Türkiye and contains a JORC Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resource of 1.5 million ounces of gold (as at July 2020). It is located within the multi-million ounce Artvin Goldfield, which contains the "Hot Gold Corridor" comprising several significant gold- copper projects including the 4 million ounce Hot Maden project, which lies 16km to the south of Salinbas. A NSR royalty of up to 2% on future production is payable to Eldorado Gold Corporation.

Ariana owns 76% of UK-registered Western Tethyan Resources Ltd ("WTR"), which operates across south-eastern Europe and is based in Pristina, Republic of Kosovo. The company is targeting its exploration on major copper-gold deposits across the porphyry-epithermal transition. WTR is being funded through a five-year Alliance Agreement with Newmont Ventures Limited (www.newmont.com) and is separately earning-in to up to 85% of the Slivova Gold Project.

Ariana owns 61% of UK-registered Venus Minerals PLC ("Venus") which is focused on the exploration and development of copper-gold projects in Cyprus, some of which are in application, containing a combined JORC Indicated and Inferred Resource of 16.6Mt @ 0.45% to 0.80% copper (excluding additional gold, silver and zinc).

Ariana owns several investments in listed and private companies via its Australian subsidiary Asgard Metals Pty. Ltd. ("Asgard"), which also provides technical input into the various investee company exploration programmes. Investments have been made in high-value potential, discovery-stage mineral exploration companies located across the Eastern Hemisphere and within easy reach of Ariana's operational hubs in Australia, Türkiye, UK and Zimbabwe. Its most advanced interest is through a 4.1% holding of Panther Metals Limited (ASX: PNT).

Zeus Capital Limited, Fortified Securities and Shaw and Partners are the brokers to the Company and Beaumont Cornish Limited is the Company's Nominated Adviser.

For further information on Ariana, you are invited to visit the Company's website at www.arianaresources.com.

Ends.