Ivanhoe Mines Challenges Unauthorized Remarks by Rio Tinto Representatives About the Status of the Oyu Tolgoi Project

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE--(Marketwire - Sept. 21, 2011) - Ivanhoe Mines (TSX:IVN)(NYSE:IVN)(NASDAQ:IVN) founder and Chief Executive Officer Robert Friedland said today that the company has been made aware of the dissemination of what it considers to be unauthorized and incomplete information concerning the Oyu Tolgoi Project by members of Rio Tinto's senior management during a briefing for investors this week.

Ivanhoe Mines will provide further details in a future statement following communication directly with Rio Tinto on the specifics of its concerns.

About Ivanhoe Mines

Ivanhoe Mines (TSX:IVN)(NYSE:IVN)(NASDAQ:IVN) is an international mining company with operations focused in the Asia Pacific region. Assets include the company's 66% interest in the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold-silver mine development project in southern Mongolia; its 57% interest in Mongolian coal miner SouthGobi Resources (TSX:SGQ)(HK:1878); a 62% interest in Ivanhoe Australia (TSX:IVA)(ASX:IVA), a copper-gold-uranium-molybdenum-rhenium exploration and development company; and a 50% interest in Altynalmas Gold Ltd., a private company developing the Kyzyl Gold Project in Kazakhstan.