Iran Market Pulse: Saturday Morning, July 18, 2026; the Dollar Hits a Fresh Record Near 191,000 Tomans as Global Markets Turn Higher Alongside the Oman Table

A day ago, global markets were pricing in calm; this morning, they are pricing in tension again. On the morning of Saturday, 27 Tir 1405 (18 July 2026), in the very hours the Iranian delegation sits down at the Oman table for a fresh round of talks on the Strait of Hormuz, the global board has turned noticeably: spot gold, which had slipped below $4,000 on Thursday and Friday, climbed back above that line early today (around $4,017), and Brent crude jumped nearly 4.4 percent to $88. At home, the free-market dollar reached a record zone of about 191,000 tomans at the end of last week and in the early hours of today, above last week's 188,000-toman peak. The Tehran Stock Exchange, after a two-day weekend and having posted its seventh straight losing session on Wednesday, reopens today into this backdrop.

Today at a glance

A quick read of the key numbers (each figure is dated below):

Today's headlines

• The Oman table on the Strait of Hormuz: Iran's foreign minister has traveled to Oman for a fresh round of consultations, and the focus of today's meeting is managing the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz; according to news reports, Muscat has floated a tentative proposal to manage traffic in the strait via two separately controlled routes (Sat 18 Jul).
• Oil jumps on tension: Brent crude rose 4.36 percent to about $88 early today, and WTI also closed the New York trading week higher; the energy market re-priced the Hormuz reports (Fri and Sat).
• Spot gold back above $4,000: after retreating toward a multi-month low on Thursday and Friday, gold climbed back above the $4,000 line early today (around $4,017); gold's swings mirror shifting expectations about the outcome of the talks (Sat pre-dawn).
• Wall Street lower into the weekend: on Friday the S&P 500 fell 1.01 percent to 7,457 and the Nasdaq dropped 1.4 percent; a chip-stock sell-off and geopolitical worries pulled U.S. equities down, while energy shares benefited from higher oil (Fri 17 Jul).
• Seventh straight losing session for the Tehran bourse: the main index fell 0.63 percent on Wednesday to below the 4.9-million-unit channel, its seventh consecutive negative session; real-money outflow continued through the week (Wed 15 Jul).

Currency

The free-market dollar has reached a fresh record. As of this Saturday morning, the free rate was quoted in a band of about 191,000 tomans, above last week's 188,000-toman ceiling; the toman tether rate, which usually moves in step with the free dollar, was recorded at 193,001 tomans this morning. On the other side of the market, the remittance dollar rate at the Currency and Gold Exchange Center was about 149,987 tomans in its latest update, meaning the gap between the free channel and the exchange channel has reached roughly 41,000 tomans (near 21 percent). On a monthly basis the free dollar is about 17 percent higher than a month ago, a rise rooted more in the geopolitical climate and expectations around the Oman table than in any fresh domestic monetary factor. For live rates, see Sahmino's currency market page.

A methodological note: these figures are "what happened"; where the dollar goes after the Oman meeting depends on the outcome of the talks and belongs to the realm of conjecture, not priced-in fact.

Gold and coin

Iran's domestic gold and coin market closed slightly lower on Thursday (the last business day before the weekend): a gram of 18-karat gold was about 18,245,000 tomans (down 0.63 percent) and the Emami coin about 185 million tomans, with a premium near 7,200,000 tomans. But the main driver in the days ahead is a combination of two variables: the dollar rate and the global ounce. Spot gold climbed back above $4,000 early today (around $4,017, up 1.13 percent) after slipping below that line on Thursday and Friday in response to hopes for talks. Because the domestic gold price is tied to both the dollar and the ounce at once, the return of both variables to an upward phase could intensify upward pressure at today's domestic-market open. More detail on Sahmino's gold price page.

Stocks

The Tehran Stock Exchange's last trading session was Wednesday, 24 Tir, when the main index closed down 0.63 percent (about 30,849 units) at 4,893,834 units, below the 4.9-million-unit channel; it was the market's seventh straight losing session. The over-the-counter Iran Fara Bourse index held nearly flat at 38,271. Real-money flow remained an outflow through last week, and, absent a positive domestic catalyst, the market tracked the currency and geopolitical climate. The key point for today is that the bourse reopens after a two-day break into a setting where the dollar has set a fresh record and regional tension is again visible in oil and gold prices; how equities respond to these two conflicting signals (a weaker rial, which is positive for export-oriented names, versus geopolitical risk, which is negative for the whole market) will be the theme of today's session. For the index and symbols, see Sahmino's bourse index page.

Crypto

The crypto market stayed under pressure on Friday: bitcoin fell about 1.4 percent to the $63,000 zone (around $63,130), and ethereum dropped nearly 2.8 percent to about $1,832; a run of tense military days has curbed risk appetite. At home, the toman tether rate stood at 193,001 tomans (this morning); recall that the global crypto price is in dollars and its toman rate embeds the dollar rate, so part of the toman tether's move is simply a reflection of the free dollar's record.

Iron and steel

In the steel market, the factory-gate price of Aryan Foulad rebar in its latest update (Friday, 26 Tir) was quoted in a band of 66,000 to 68,000 tomans per kilogram (depending on size and grade). The main drivers in the days ahead are two external factors: the exchange rate, which raises the finished cost and the export price floor, and the global price of steel and energy. With the dollar's fresh record, the rial price floor in the domestic market is likely to firm, though real construction demand determines the other side of the equation.

Cars

The car market in this climate is more in wait-and-see mode than active. The market margin (the gap between factory and market prices) on heavily traded models remains sensitive to the dollar rate and inflation expectations; a fresh currency record usually shows up, with a lag, as higher asking prices from sellers in the open car market, but until real buyers step in these increases stay mostly on paper. Pricing policy (the Competition Council and the Ministry of Industry) determines the factory-supply side.

Building materials

In the materials market, cement and related products are more sensitive to energy costs and seasonal construction demand than to the daily swings of the currency. In the warm half of the year and with periodic energy constraints, the supply side is usually cautious; but weak project demand in recent months has kept prices from any noticeable jump. This market should be followed alongside the overall trend in construction costs and the exchange rate.

Regional and global backdrop

The theme of today's global market is the return of the risk premium. Brent crude jumped 4.36 percent to $88.1 early today, and WTI was around $81 at the close of the New York trading week, up double digits over five days, all on worry about ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Spot gold returned above $4,000 (around $4,017). The U.S. dollar index was nearly unchanged; costlier oil supports the dollar by lifting inflation expectations. On Wall Street, Friday's indexes closed lower: the S&P 500 at 7,457 (−1.01%), the Nasdaq at 25,520 (−1.4%) and the Dow at 52,146 (−0.77%); their channel to Tehran runs mainly through the oil price (foreign-currency income) and the global gold price (the floor under domestic gold). For a deeper look at how this tension affects Iran's economy, see Sahmino's analysis of southern Iran under fire.

What to watch today

• The outcome of the Oman meeting: any news on the draft for managing the Strait of Hormuz will be the most direct driver of the dollar, gold and oil in the hours ahead.
• The Tehran bourse open: the index's response and the real-versus-legal money flow in the first session after the break, especially in export-oriented and dollar-linked names.
• The free dollar and toman tether: whether today's record holds or corrects on talks news.
• The global ounce and Brent: whether gold holds above $4,000 and how oil behaves around the $88 line.
• The events calendar: follow the upcoming economic events on Sahmino's market calendar.

This report is a picture of "what has happened as of this morning"; any decision to buy or sell is your own, and this text offers no trading advice.