U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticized an appeals court's decision to temporarily block federal officials from completing a land transfer needed for Rio Tinto and BHP to develop Arizona's Resolution Copper project.

A U.S. appeals court has put the brakes on the transfer of federal forest land in Arizona to a company that plans to mine one of the largest copper deposits in North America.

President Trump signaled support for a giant copper mine in Arizona following a meeting with the heads of two of the world’s biggest mining companies.