"Cliff's has showed us the potential of the chromite"
We did not need to be shown anything by Cliffs that we did not already know or suspected. I think you are being to kind to Cliffs.

"I do not like is that we may have painted ourselves into a corner by saying this is our final offer."
And I do not see this as us being in a corner. It is a final offer for Entire Freewest.
I had hoped that this offer would be just for the Ring of Fire assets as the Cliffs offer is. This would have put us on a more even playing field.

So the next offer, should there be one from Noront, can be only for the Ring's assets.

Needless to say, I am not pleased with the current offer, 173% is ridiculously too much. I would have offered 1:4 only for Ring's assets now or gone away.