IVANHOE Mines is in constant dialogue with sovereign wealth funds for potential investments to support expanded copper and critical minerals production, co-chairman Robert Friedland told Reuters on Wednesday. The Vancouver-based miner said that Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund invested $500m as part of the Gulf state’s strategy for “finding, developing, and sustainably supplying the critical minerals essential to global energy transition”. Friedland said Qatar’s investment opens doors particularly in predominantly Islamic countries where he believes large, untapped mineral deposits exist. “Their investment horizon is sometimes measured in a millionth of a second.”He characterised the global rush for critical minerals as resembling the western US mining boom of the late 19th century. Ivanhoe remains interested in developing titanium projects in Ukraine but not during the ongoing conflict with Russia, he said.