Item 2.02Results of Operations and Financial Condition.
Announcement of Receipt of Quarterly Royalty Report and Royalty Payment
On July 30, 2026, Mesabi Trust received the quarterly royalty report of iron ore shipments out of Silver Bay, Minnesota during the quarter ended June 30, 2026 (the “Royalty Report”) from Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (“Cliffs”), the parent company of Northshore Mining Company (“Northshore”). As further explained under Item 7.01 below, the Royalty Report indicated that the Mesabi Trust received total royalty payments of $1,807,779 on July 30, 2026.
Item 7.01Regulation FD.
Quarterly Royalty Report and Royalty Payment
On July 30, 2026, the Trustees of Mesabi Trust received the Royalty Report from Cliffs, the parent company of Northshore.
As reported to Mesabi Trust by Cliffs in the Royalty Report, based on shipments of iron ore products by Northshore during the three months ended June 30, 2026, Mesabi Trust was credited with a base royalty of $1,585,696. For the same period, Mesabi Trust was also credited with a bonus royalty in the amount of $0 (zero). The royalty payment received by Mesabi Trust did not include any adjustments related to prior quarters. In addition, a royalty payment of $222,083 was paid to the Mesabi Land Trust. Accordingly, the total royalty payments received by Mesabi Trust on July 30, 2026 from Cliffs were $1,807,779.
As noted above, Cliffs’ Royalty Report indicated the bonus royalty is $0 (zero). Cliffs reported that all deemed shipments out of Silver Bay for the calendar quarter ended June 30, 2026 were based on prices that are below the 2026 adjusted bonus royalty threshold of $71.70 per ton. The prices Cliffs reported for deemed shipments in this quarter were based on third-party sales that occurred in September and December 2025. Cliffs’ Royalty Report also indicated that royalty calculations are based on estimated prices that are subject to change. All royalties are subject to continued due diligence review and verification by Mesabi Trust.
Royalties paid to Mesabi Trust are based on the volume of iron ore pellets and other products produced or shipped during the quarter and the year to date, the pricing of iron ore product sales, and the percentage of iron ore pellet production and shipments from Mesabi Trust lands rather than from non-Mesabi Trust lands. In the second calendar quarter of 2026, Cliffs credited Mesabi Trust with 902,331 tons of iron ore shipped, as compared to 924,442 tons shipped during the second calendar quarter of 2025. Cliffs’ Royalty Report reflected no additional third-party sale transactions of iron ore pellets since reporting three low volume shipments of iron ore pellets to a single Cliffs’ third-party customer in September 2025.
The volume of iron ore pellets (and other iron ore products) produced or shipped by Northshore varies from quarter to quarter and year to year based on a number of factors including, among others, Cliffs’ decisions to idle Northshore operations (which occurred from May 2022 until April 2023), the requested delivery schedules of customers (including affiliates), general economic conditions in the iron ore industry, production and maintenance schedules and weather conditions on the Great Lakes. These multiple factors can result in significant variations in royalties received by Mesabi Trust (and in turn, the resulting funds available for distribution to Unitholders by Mesabi Trust) from quarter to
