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Hamidreza Azargon, head of the Central Bank's anti money laundering supervision office, said on Monday, October 5, 2026 (13 Mehr 1405) at the launch ceremony of the Surplus Bank Account Management System (HESAM) that a review over the past month found 73 percent of accounts subject to resolution under the system had no transactions in that period. According to Mehr News Agency, Masoud Pashamchi, the Central Bank's deputy for payment systems and new technologies, said at the same event that more than 650 million accounts belonging to individuals exist across Iran's banking network, and that HESAM lets people view and resolve surplus accounts without visiting a branch in person. Azargon explained that the threshold of ten accounts is not a strict cap but a level that triggers further review; people with more than ten accounts can use HESAM to resolve their surplus accounts or submit documentation if they need to keep more. In its first phase, the system covers only savings, current and short term accounts of Iranian individuals over 18, with corporate and business accounts to be reviewed in later phases.

In Iran's 17th Islamic treasury bond auction, held on 7 Mehr 1405 (September 29, 2026), the government sold about 57,880 billion tomans of the 144,870 billion tomans on offer across eight bond series, a 40 percent subscription rate. Two series, Arad 297 and Arad 299, found no buyers. One series, Arad 296, worth 950 billion tomans, was sold through public offering on the capital market, while the remaining five series, worth about 56,930 billion tomans, were sold to primary dealers at negotiated rates. The total was well above the 16th auction's 47,480 billion tomans. Even so, cumulative government bond sales since the start of fiscal year 1405 have reached about 390,540 billion tomans, covering only 38 percent of this year's approved bond sale ceiling in the budget.

Iran's household Gini coefficient fell slightly to 0.3849 in the Iranian year 1404 (ending March 2026), down 0.0021 points from the year before, according to a report carried by Mehr News Agency on Monday, October 5, 2026. The coefficient, which measures income inequality on a scale from zero (perfect equality) to one (maximum inequality), showed a mixed national picture. Inequality rose in rural areas even as the national figure improved, and Tehran recorded the highest Gini coefficient among Iran's urban areas, remaining the country's most unequal city by income distribution.

Iran's exports to Armenia rose 7.5 percent year-on-year to $385 million in the first seven months of 2026, Mehr News Agency reported Monday, October 5, 2026 (13 Mehr 1405). The report coincided with news that the two countries are expanding a green customs corridor and increasing capacity at the Nordooz border crossing, steps described as aimed at further easing bilateral trade. According to the report, Iran and Armenia have broadened customs and transit cooperation in recent months to speed up the modest trade growth the two neighbors have posted in recent years.

Iran's rial-based import price index reached 3,853.0 points in spring 1405 (roughly April-June 2026), up 55.1 percent from the previous quarter, 146.3 percent year-on-year, and 159.4 percent on an annual basis over the four quarters ending in spring 1405, according to a Statistical Center of Iran report carried by Mehr News Agency on Monday, October 5, 2026. The highest quarterly inflation, 73.5 percent, was recorded for the "wood and wood products" group, while the highest annual inflation, 181.6 percent, was in "machinery and mechanical appliances." In dollar terms, the same index showed a much smaller 25.1 percent annual inflation rate, highlighting the rial's depreciation as the main driver of import price growth. The Statistical Center said the figures are preliminary, based on provisional customs data, and will be revised once final customs figures are released.

Iran Customs, in a circular to supervisors and directors general of executive customs offices, announced an extension of delegated special authorities through the end of Azar 1405, around December 21, 2026. Under the circular, the temporary entry permit for passenger cars holding a Carnet de Passage or a Foreign Investment Organization license was extended by two months without needing approval from Customs' Import Bureau, with executive customs offices sending the required police introduction letter directly to traffic police. Mehr News Agency reported the circular on Sunday, October 4, 2026. The circular also delegated to executive customs offices nationwide the authority to extend, by three months, temporary entry for road construction and mining machinery that has already been in the country more than two years under temporary entry, and allowed acceptance of domestic manufacturing depth lists for vehicles and goods based solely on verifying the authenticity of the Industry Ministry's letter. On the export side, authority to extend Article 51 temporary entry licenses, covering raw materials imported for processing and export, by three months was also delegated to executive customs offices. Customs offices must report monthly statistics on extended licenses to Customs headquarters.

According to Mehr News Agency, Hassan Jafari, public relations director of Mashhad's Shahid Hashemi-Nejad Airport, said the first Mashhad to Najaf flight since Iraqi government restrictions were imposed will depart today, Sunday, October 4, 2026 (12 Mehr 1405), at 18:40 Tehran time, with a second flight an hour later. Najaf airport had stopped accepting Iranian flights in late September following US aviation sanctions on Iran. Jafari said ticket pricing for the route is set by Iran's Civil Aviation Organization.

According to Al Jazeera, citing a US official, the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group left its San Diego base for the Middle East on Sunday, October 4, 2026 (12 Mehr 1405), to be followed a day later by the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Unit carrying more than 2,000 Marines. The Wall Street Journal reported the deployment could add a total of 9,000 to 10,000 US troops, including sailors and Marines, to the region. The official said that by the end of November, three US aircraft carriers and two amphibious landing groups will be positioned near Iran, a plan Al Jazeera and The Washington Post first reported on October 1 (9 Mehr). The new deployment adds to roughly 50,000 US troops already stationed in the region and comes amid months of elevated tension in the Strait of Hormuz that has weighed on global gold and oil markets and on Iran's own dollar and gold prices.

According to EcoIran, citing Fars News, Pakistan has deployed between 30,000 and 40,000 of its troops to Saudi Arabia amid rising tensions between Riyadh and Sanaa, to help defend the kingdom's land borders against attacks by Yemen's armed forces. Pakistan, which is obligated to defend Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement signed on August 7, 2026 (16 Mordad 1405), has gradually sent these forces in stages since last year. A Pakistani official told Reuters the troops will not take part in military operations inside Yemeni territory. Islamabad has also supplied military equipment, including air defense systems, light artillery, drones and anti-drone gear, sending four cargo planes to Aden last month. The deployment comes as Saudi Arabia reportedly prepares a possible military operation against Yemeni forces around the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, a key chokepoint for oil shipments between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Al Jazeera reported on Thursday, October 1, 2026, citing a US official, that by the end of November three US aircraft carriers along with two amphibious landing groups will be deployed around Iran. The same report said more than 2,000 US Marines, together with an amphibious ground force, are also headed to the West Asia region. In the same coverage, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran has "never avoided" dialogue with Washington, even though Iran has been attacked three times during previous rounds of talks. The development comes amid the months-long US-Iran war that has kept tension elevated in the Strait of Hormuz and pressured global energy and gold markets since late summer.

Iran's Central Bank warned in a statement issued Thursday, October 1, 2026 (9 Mehr 1405) and reported by Mehr News Agency against advertisements for granting, buying and selling bank loans circulating on social media and via text messages, describing them as attempts to defraud citizens and misuse their personal information. The statement said bank loans are extended only under rules approved by the Central Bank through the licensed banking network and cannot be bought, sold or transferred to third parties. Citing Article 15 of the executive directive on advertising by regulated entities, issued on August 29, 2026 (7 Shahrivar 1405), the Central Bank banned all advertising related to buying and selling loan facilities, loan eligibility privileges, bank deposits and account rentals, and said it is pursuing legal action against violators.

Mehdi Heydari, head of Iran's Organization for Investment, Economic and Technical Assistance, said on state television on Thursday, October 1, 2026 (9 Mehr 1405) that Iran's accession to the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) is nearly finalized, with only a few steps remaining, Mehr News Agency reported. He said a meeting was held with the bank's president during the recent BRICS summit, and Iran's economy minister had recently traveled to Russia and India, meeting with the two countries' economy ministers and central bank governors. Heydari described BRICS member states as accounting for more than 40 percent of the world's population and more than 25 percent of global GDP and trade.

Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, the Energy Ministry's deputy for electricity and energy, announced a new directive to support Iran's industrial sector, Mehr News Agency reported on Thursday, October 1, 2026 (9 Mehr 1405). Under the decision, industrial subscribers with demand contracts who have no overdue debt as of the end of Shahrivar 1405 (September 22) can draw power beyond their contracted capacity between 10pm and 10am the next day without incurring the standard power overdraw penalty. He described the move as a step to cut production costs and sustain output at large industries amid the country's current energy imbalance.

Economy and Finance Minister Seyed Ali Madanizadeh told reporters Wednesday, September 30, 2026 (8 Mehr 1405) that about 40 to 44 million people with low income and no assets such as property or a car have been identified for an increase in electronic food coupon (kalabarg) credit. He said the final increase figure will be set once the Plan and Budget Organization determines available funding, but given likely available resources, he hopes the increase will be at least 300,000 tomans per person. The minister also announced the pilot launch of the "Iranian Credit Card" program at Bank Mellat and Bank Tejarat, with about 100,000 billion tomans (100 trillion tomans) earmarked in its first phase, to be expanded once the system's performance is confirmed. He said the program is not limited to marriage-related credit.

Iran's central bank announced in circular number 05/170539, dated 8 Mehr 1405 (September 30, 2026), that banks and credit institutions are absolutely barred from extending any facility, direct or indirect and through branches or digital units, for the purchase of gold, foreign currency (the dollar and other currencies), and any type of cryptocurrency or the platforms that trade them. According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Tasnim, the circular calls on banks to tighten compliance with lending requirements to prevent bank resources from being diverted into speculative or non productive uses, and to prioritize financing the real economy and productive enterprises, including proper vetting and credit assessment of borrowers. Under the circular, any manager or staff member found responsible for a violation will be referred to law enforcement, supervisory and judicial authorities.

The last US and international coalition forces left Iraqi territory on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 (8 Mehr 1405), Khabar Online reported. Baghdad has designated this date as the official end of the coalition's military mission and the final deadline for its troop withdrawal, while Washington has confirmed the pullout is proceeding on the timetable agreed with the Iraqi government. The US military presence in Iraq was not continuous: American forces first entered in 2003, withdrew at the end of 2011, and returned in 2014 under a different mission to fight ISIL. Combined, the two stints add up to roughly two decades by 2026. The final withdrawal process traces back to a 2021 agreement between then Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhimi and President Joe Biden to end the US combat mission, and was completed under Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani's government once a firm timetable was set. The withdrawal comes as Iraq is caught between US economic pressure on Iran and its own extensive trade and border ties with its neighbor.

The US Treasury Department added 10 individuals and companies to its sanctions list on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, over alleged ties to procuring weapons and parts for Iran's military, Al Jazeera reported, citing an official Treasury statement. The targeted individuals and firms are based in China, Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, with three of the designated entities located inside Iran. The action is part of "Operation Economic Outcast," a campaign US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced in August 2026 to further restrict Iran's access to global markets. Among the Chinese entities sanctioned were Hong Kong based EC Mojo Technology Co Ltd and one of its representatives, accused of supplying electronic components to Iran's military and attempting to evade sanctions and export controls. The Treasury said the action "further degrades the Iranian regime's ability to reconstitute its weapons programs and increases the costs for those who choose to aid Tehran's military procurement efforts."

Iraqi Airways, Iraq's largest state-owned carrier, announced on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 (7 Mehr 1405), that it will resume flights to Iran starting Thursday, October 1 (9 Mehr). According to the airline's statement, the flights will begin from Najaf International Airport, with crews currently preparing aircraft and completing the necessary organizational and technical requirements. The move follows the suspension of Iranian airlines' flights to Iraq since September 23.

The head of Iran's International Transport Association warned on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 (7 Mehr 1405), that export trucks are being held up for 17 to 20 days at the country's border crossings, sharply raising shipping costs, according to Donya-e-Eqtesad. Mehr News Agency, citing the same warning, reported that the prolonged delays are putting Iran's export markets at risk of being lost to competitors. Neither report specified the cause of the extended border-clearance times.

Shahin Mustafayev, Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister, said on the sidelines of a meeting of the heads of the Iran-Azerbaijan Joint Economic Cooperation Commission on Tuesday, 7 Mehr 1405 (September 29, 2026), that joint infrastructure projects between the two countries, including a bridge over the Aras River, the Aghband-Kalaleh project, and the Astara rail freight terminal, are nearly complete. According to Mehr News Agency, he said he had discussed opening these projects as soon as possible with his Iranian counterpart. Mustafayev added that trade volume between Iran and Azerbaijan has risen, and cargo movement under the International North-South Transport Corridor has also trended upward. At the meeting, the two sides reviewed the latest status of joint projects in trade, logistics, transport and energy.

Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani announced on Tuesday, 7 Mehr 1405 (September 29, 2026), at the Sadeghieh produce market, the start of distribution of 12 staple goods with prices fixed for six months. According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, the items include rice, meat, legumes, pasta, soybeans, dates, sugar and cooking oil, available from today at 108 municipal produce markets across Tehran and, from Saturday, at 18 Shahrvand stores as well. Zakani said prices for these items will not change for residents for six months, with purchases possible both in person at the markets and stores and remotely through the Shahrzad platform with home delivery. The mayor said three more items, chicken, tomato paste and cheese, will be added from Aban (starting late October), bringing the total to 15 items, and the number of supply points will double that month. Each household's quota is set by national ID and household size, for example two kilograms of rice and half a kilogram of meat per person per month.

Mohammad Shakibinasab, managing director of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, said on Monday, 6 Mehr 1405 (September 28, 2026), that new mechanized grain terminals have cut ship unloading times from about 10 days to roughly 2.5 to 3 days. According to Mehr News Agency, citing the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, he said that as some imported goods were rerouted from southern to northern ports, capacity at northern port berths, warehouses and yards was identified and put to use, with more than 55 percent of that surrounding storage capacity still unused. He said unloading of essential goods at northern ports is up more than 90 percent year on year, other goods are up about 65 percent, and the northern ports' share of the country's essential-goods unloading has risen from about 18 percent at the end of 1404 to about 31 percent now. Port loading, unloading and cargo release operations are now conducted around the clock.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi met a Qatari mediator on Monday, 6 Mehr 1405 (September 28, 2026), on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's 81st session in New York. According to IRNA (via Khabaronline), he said the only remaining issue in the talks is the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's conditions for reopening it, endorsed by the Supreme Leader, are fully defined. Araghchi said Iran's seven-point plan had already been relayed to Washington through the Qatari mediator, and he hoped an official US response would reach Tehran through the same channel by Tuesday, 7 Mehr (September 29). He firmly denied any Iranian flexibility on the nuclear issue. Separately, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told IRNA that Monday's meeting with the Qatari delegation was limited to consultations on the latest regional developments, that no discussion of specific details took place, and that media speculation about the contents of the talks has no factual basis.

According to Mehr News Agency, Bank Maskan said that from Tuesday, 29 September 2026 (7 Mehr 1405), its branches will stop issuing coded (ramzdar) cheques and will replace them with guaranteed Sayad bank cheques. The bank said the change is intended to improve the security of financial transactions and coincides with the rollout of a new version of Chakavak, the interbank cheque clearing system. Coded cheques are a common payment instrument in large transactions such as property and car purchases, and Bank Maskan customers who need one will have to use a guaranteed Sayad cheque from that date.

According to ISNA, Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and his delegation are meeting the mediators of the Iran-US talks on Monday morning, 28 September 2026 (6 Mehr 1405), New York time, to review the latest proposals and views on the current situation. According to the report, no representative of the US side is attending the meeting. EcoIran and Khabar Online carried the same report. Iran's proposal, presented earlier to the US side in the presence of the mediators, offers to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as part of an agreement to end the war in return for the release of Iran's frozen funds and assets; Donald Trump has said he did not accept it. Araghchi had said Tehran is waiting for definitive views to be relayed through the intermediaries and will not back down on its conditions for reopening Hormuz. The outcome of the meeting is one of the key variables for Iran's currency, gold and oil markets in the days ahead.

Yasser al-Hajjaj, Iraq's ambassador in Tehran, said on Monday, 28 September 2026 (6 Mehr 1405) that Najaf International Airport will reopen to flights from Iran within the next 24 hours. ISNA carried the announcement, and Donya-e-Eqtesad, EcoIran, Khabar Online and Boursenews also reported it. Earlier the same day, the head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization told Mehr News Agency that talks on resuming Iranian flights to Iraq were continuing, and that flights would likely resume first at Najaf and then at Baghdad. Najaf airport had stopped accepting Iranian flights from the early hours of Friday, 25 September (3 Mehr), a few days after Baghdad airport dropped out of Iran's flight network following US aviation sanctions on Iran. On Saturday, 26 September (4 Mehr), al-Hajjaj told Iraq's official news agency that the suspension of flights was "temporary and transient". The Najaf route is one of the busiest foreign routes for Iranian airlines.

Seyed Mohammadreza Mavalizadeh, governor of Khuzestan province, said at a launch ceremony in Khorramshahr on Monday, 28 September 2026 (6 Mehr 1405) that the vessel Hootan 1, with a capacity of 800 tonnes, had been built in 20 months at the Arvandan shipyard. The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare and Khorramshahr's member of parliament. According to the governor, the Arvandan shipyard was hit by projectiles several times during the war, but construction continued. He described the project as a sign of the province's shipbuilding capability and said he hoped the industry would expand in the region with government support.

According to EcoIran, citing Mashregh, the government's economic team, chaired by First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref and attended by the economy minister, the central bank governor and the head of the Plan and Budget Organization, met on Monday, 28 September 2026 (6 Mehr 1405) to discuss funding the targeted-subsidy programme for more than 75 million people in the second half of the Iranian year. Aref ordered that within one week a comprehensive package be drawn up setting out precisely the sources and uses of targeted-subsidy funding, including ways to collect government receivables and save energy; once approved by the government, it will be implemented with the cooperation of parliament and the judiciary. The meeting also received a report on first-half spending, including cash subsidies, the Kalabarg food-coupon scheme, flour and bread subsidies, and the exchange-rate difference for medicine and infant formula.

According to EcoIran, at the Central Bank of Iran's 26th open-market operations auction, whose results were published on Monday, 28 September 2026 (6 Mehr 1405), the bank again allotted 70 trillion tomans in seven-day repurchase agreements (repos) at a minimum rate of 23 percent, but, unlike the two previous auctions, received no orders for outright bond purchases. At the 25th auction it had bought about 2.06 trillion tomans of securities outright. This time 13 banks and credit institutions submitted a combined 291.16 trillion tomans in repo orders, against 417.49 trillion tomans from 16 banks the week before, a drop of about 126.33 trillion tomans, or 30.3 percent, which lifted the accepted share of orders from 16.8 percent to 24 percent. Use of the standing lending facility, priced at the 24 percent corridor ceiling, also fell from 44.19 trillion tomans on 1 Mehr (23 September) to 7.8 trillion tomans on 5 Mehr (27 September) and 1.2 trillion tomans on 6 Mehr (28 September), a sign that some of the liquidity pressure on banks has eased, although a few banks still rely on the facility.

Iran's Customs Administration has put a pilot of "coordinated border management" (CBM) on its agenda at the Dogharoun border crossing. According to Mehr News Agency, in a report published on Monday, 6 Mehr 1405 (September 28, 2026), the model logs each truck's time from entering the border until leaving it and times the procedures of every agency involved, to pinpoint where goods are held up, from customs and standards to quarantine and veterinary checks. The report says close to 60 agencies are involved in moving goods in and out through the country's trade borders. Customs chief Forud Asgari has said traders' capital should not sit idle in border queues and that easing border procedures has become a mega-project at the Economy Ministry. Removing duplicated checks at the border, shifting part of the controls to inland customs, allowing goods to be declared before they reach the border, and risk assessment to route shipments of compliant traders onto fast lanes are the plan's main pillars.

At its sixteenth debt auction of 1405, held on 31 Shahrivar (September 22, 2026), the government sold about 17,880 billion tomans of the roughly 43,340 billion tomans of bonds on offer, an absorption rate of 41.25 percent. According to EcoIran, citing Central Bank of Iran data, sales were about 7,480 billion tomans higher than at the previous auction, which was led by primary dealers. Only two issues found buyers: 9,830 billion tomans of the 13,420 billion tomans of ARAD306 and about 8,000 billion of the 11,000 billion tomans of ARAD307; ARAD296, ARAD297 and ARAD299 drew no bids. Total government bond sales across the 16 auctions of the first half of the year reached 332,660 billion tomans, 32.3 percent of the bond-sale ceiling in the 1405 budget.

Asad Salehi, a workers' representative on Iran's Supreme Labor Council, told Mehr News Agency that the council will meet next week and revise workers' wages under clause 10 of the 1405 wage resolution, in line with the current inflation rate. He said "changes will be made to the wage level" at that session. Under the council's 341st session resolution, wages were to be reviewed in the first half of the year against inflation in basic goods and food, which is why the workers' "bon" allowance was left unchanged at 2.2 million tomans in the 1405 wage. Citing Article 41 of the Labor Law, Salehi said wages must track inflation and be enough to cover the average living costs of a family. Khabar Online, Donya-e-Eqtesad and EcoIran also carried the report on Monday, 6 Mehr 1405 (September 28, 2026).

Ahmad Meydari, Iran's Minister of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare, said in Ahvaz on Sunday evening, 5 Mehr 1405, that a floating vessel previously hit by a missile has been rebuilt over the past 14 months by local shipbuilding workers and specialists and is ready for launch. According to him, the vessel is to be inaugurated by videoconference on the president's order on Monday, 6 Mehr. Meydari added that despite war damage to some of Khuzestan's industrial infrastructure, measures by the provincial governor and cooperation with industry managers prevented large-scale layoffs and brought damaged units back into operation. Visiting workers injured in the recent incident at the Abadan refinery at Taleghani Hospital in Ahvaz, he described their general condition as satisfactory and said refinery officials had pledged to address the workers' contract concerns. The minister also said the transfer of bank accounts of the ministry's petrochemical subsidiaries into Khuzestan province is under way in cooperation with the central bank.

According to the Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat, as carried by ISNA, a senior Iraqi government source said Baghdad has received a "serious and direct" US warning about violating the aviation sanctions imposed on Iran, and that the US side explained punitive measures could extend to any entity or airport that serves Iranian airlines. According to the source, Iraq has requested an exemption for Najaf airport "for humanitarian reasons". The report was published on the morning of Monday, 6 Mehr 1405. The Iraqi government had said in an official statement on Saturday, 4 Mehr (September 26, 2026) that it was in direct talks with Washington to exempt some Iraqi airports from the restrictions for humanitarian purposes such as medical treatment, education and pilgrimage. Al-Hadath, as cited by Tasnim, also reported that securing these exemptions is the main agenda of Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein's trip to Washington. The US Treasury recently sanctioned 36 entities linked to Iran's aviation sector, including 27 airlines, and the restrictions took effect last Wednesday.

Morteza Zamanian, deputy for economic policy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, said in a television interview on Sunday, 5 Mehr 1405 (27 September 2026) that the government's economic team has put wide-ranging regulatory reform and deregulation on its agenda to ease trade, in response to restrictions on the country's trade routes, including the naval blockade and, more recently, an air blockade. He said the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, the central bank and the Economy Ministry have held numerous meetings, and draft plans focused on firms with foreign trade ties have been prepared and are going through the approval process. Zamanian acknowledged that the restrictions raise the landed cost of imports and exports, but said that given Iran's long borders the flow of goods cannot be stopped entirely. The details and timetable for approval have not yet been announced.

Central Bank of Iran Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati responded on the evening of Sunday, 5 Mehr 1405 (27 September 2026) to the US Treasury Secretary's remarks about the impact of the Trump administration's economic pressure on Iran. "If he means the control of liquidity and point-to-point inflation turning downward in Shahrivar, after 15 months, then this time his remarks are certainly correct," Hemmati said, adding that these developments followed from the central bank's monetary policy and measures. According to figures Hemmati announced on Saturday, 4 Mehr (26 September), point-to-point inflation for Shahrivar 1405 stood at 83.8 percent, 0.6 percentage points below Mordad, and monthly inflation for Shahrivar was 3.9 percent. On the same day he described a monthly rate of around 4 percent as still high.

US President Donald Trump told Axios on Sunday, 5 Mehr 1405 (27 September 2026) that despite rejecting Iran's proposal he expects further talks between the United States and Iran this week. "They want a deal, but it is not the deal I want," he said, adding that the Iranian side had overplayed its hand. Asked about resuming strikes on Iran, Trump said he "always" thinks about it. The remarks came hours after Iran's foreign minister told NBC that Tehran is ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as part of a deal to end the war. The course of Tehran and Washington talks is currently the main driver of expectations in Iran's currency and gold markets.

Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on NBC News' "Meet the Press" on the evening of Sunday, 5 Mehr 1405 (27 September 2026) that Iran is ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as part of an agreement to end the war, and that in return it wants its frozen money and assets released and to be able to sell its oil. He said Iran is ready both for diplomacy and for war. In the same interview Araghchi criticised the US rejection of Iran's seven-day plan, saying it could have returned normal life to the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Addressing Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, who also appeared on the programme, he said Washington must explain why it turned the plan down. This is the foreign minister's most explicit statement yet tying a Hormuz reopening to the release of assets and oil sales, among the key variables for Iran's currency, gold and oil markets right now.

The United States and China signed an agreement to cut "non-sensitive" tariffs on $30 billion of goods each imports from the other, following a three-day visit by Xi Jinping to Donald Trump in Washington. ArzDigital, citing the White House, reported the deal on Saturday, 26 September 2026 (4 Mehr 1405). According to the White House, China will reduce tariffs on some US farm products, seafood, wood products, cosmetics and medical equipment, while the United States will lower tariffs on Chinese small electrical appliances, toys, festive decorations and child car seats. China has also committed to importing 10 million tons of US coal in each of 2027 and 2028. The two countries additionally agreed to set up a channel to manage incidents related to artificial intelligence and to strengthen military crisis communications. The deal, first raised at the two leaders' May meeting in Beijing, signals an easing of the trade war between the world's two largest economies, a development that bears on the outlook for global demand for commodities and energy, including China's oil purchases.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington has sent teams to several countries, as part of what he called a campaign of "economic isolation" of Iran, to urge governments to increase economic pressure on Tehran. Donya-e-Eqtesad published the remarks on Sunday morning, 27 September 2026 (5 Mehr 1405). According to Bessent, the talks have so far led to a halt in Mahan Air flights to Turkey and Oman and a suspension of Iranian airlines' flights to the UAE, and some large commercial banks in the UAE and Turkey have stopped transactions with Iran. He thanked Britain, Turkey, Oman and the UAE for their cooperation. The Wall Street Journal has also reported that Treasury officials have held talks with more than 50 countries on the campaign and that Iran's largest commercial bank has been cut off from transacting in the UAE and Turkey. Iran's international air links have not been fully cut, however: Imam Khomeini Airport said on Saturday, 26 September (4 Mehr), that flights to Turkey and China were operating. Restrictions on banking channels in the UAE and Turkey are among the most direct channels affecting Iran's access to foreign currency and its currency market.

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly session in New York. EcoIran, citing Tasnim, published the readout of the meeting on Sunday, 27 September 2026 (5 Mehr 1405). Araghchi said the current situation, including insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz, is the direct result of US and Israeli military action that began on 28 February 2026 (9 Esfand 1404), and that what he called the US "breach of commitments" led to the Islamabad understanding being violated less than three weeks after it was signed, with consequences for the whole region and the world. He thanked Turkey for its efforts to strengthen peace in the region and urged regional states not to go along with US military and economic measures against Iran. The two ministers also discussed bilateral relations and ways to expand exchanges between Iran and Turkey. Turkey is one of Iran's main overland trade routes and outbound flight links under current conditions.

Morteza Zamanian, deputy for economic policy at Iran's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, said more than 8 trillion tomans (8 hemat) in job-retention loans have so far been paid to firms at risk of damage and job losses under wartime conditions. Mehr News Agency published his remarks, citing the ministry, on Sunday, 27 September 2026 (5 Mehr 1405). Zamanian said that under the government's division of tasks, the Economy Ministry is responsible for preserving as many jobs as possible and supporting firms affected by the war, and that alongside these loans the firms are being offered tax and insurance relief, extended tax deadlines and support linked to bank credit. On firms directly damaged in the war, he said the main responsibility for reconstruction lies with the relevant specialist agencies, but the Economy Ministry has planned financing for them through the capital market, the banking system and insurance, and compensation meetings are continuing.

Mehdi Movahedi Beknazar, spokesman for Iran's National Tax Administration, said about 1,085 trillion tomans (1,085 hemat) in taxes were collected in the first six months of the Iranian year 1405 (late March to late September 2026), equal to 38 percent of this year's approved tax revenue. Mehr News Agency published his remarks on Sunday, 27 September 2026 (5 Mehr 1405). Approved tax revenue for 1405 is set at 2,820 trillion tomans, a substantial increase from the 1,820 trillion approved for 1404. According to the spokesman, about 688 trillion tomans were collected in the first half of 1404, around 37 percent of that year's approved figure. Movahedi Beknazar attributed the first-half shortfall against half of the budget to the usual pattern of the year: low collection in Farvardin because of the holidays, and the shift in the filing deadline for individual and corporate returns from Khordad and Tir to Shahrivar in the past year or two, which pushes part of collection into later months.

Electronic food coupon (Kalabarg) credit for heads of households whose national ID number ends in 7, 8 or 9 is being loaded today, Sunday, September 27, 2026 (5 Mehr 1405). According to Boursenews, the amount remains 1 million tomans per person, as in previous rounds, and the credit can be used for one month to buy basic goods. This is the final stage of the Shahrivar round. Households with IDs ending in 0, 1 and 2, along with those covered by support institutions and the armed forces, received their credit on 15 Shahrivar (September 6), and those ending in 3 to 6 on 25 Shahrivar (September 16). EcoIran also confirmed the timing of this final stage. The welfare deputy of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare says the staggered schedule is meant to prevent crowding at stores.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan told the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Saturday, September 26, 2026, that the Strait of Hormuz must return to its pre-war operating status without the imposition of any fees, and that threats to international shipping affect the global economy. He described the security of the Persian Gulf region as inseparable from global security and called restoring global supply chains a shared responsibility. The Saudi minister accused Iran of attacks on his country and other states in the region; Al Jazeera also reported that Riyadh spoke of "flagrant attacks" by Iran and called for action against the Houthis. At the same time, bin Farhan backed de-escalation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan and said Iraqi territory must not become a launchpad for attacks on its neighbours. Tehran has previously rejected similar accusations.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in his first response to Donald Trump's rejection of Iran's seven-day plan, said Tehran had heard the US president's reaction but had not yet received anything from the mediators, and would decide once "definitive views" were relayed through them. The remarks were published early on Sunday, September 27, 2026, citing ISNA, and Al Jazeera likewise reported that Tehran is still waiting for an official US response to its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi said the main line in all of his and the president's meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly was to set out the conditions Iran's Supreme National Security Council has fixed for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and advancing talks, and that the mediators had passed these conditions to the US side. He added that any step forward on reopening Hormuz depends on those conditions being met, and that only a negotiated solution can end the current deadlock.

Iran's Trade Promotion Organization told Iran's customs administration in a letter that, following a decision at the 19 September 2026 (28 Shahrivar 1405) meeting of the Article 12 working group under the law on organizing border trade, there is no restriction on brand or country of origin for South Korean home appliances imported by border residents. The letter cites letter No. 8732836 dated 20 September (29 Shahrivar) and asks customs to notify its operational offices. Mehr News Agency published the text on Saturday, 26 September 2026 (4 Mehr 1405). The decision allows home appliances from Korean brands such as Samsung and LG to enter through border trade and border residents' cooperatives. It covers only that border-trade channel and does not address general formal imports of these brands.

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, 26 September 2026 (4 Mehr 1405), that he rejects Iran's latest proposal and will not accept any deal under which Iran immediately resumes its trade, according to remarks carried by EcoIran citing Entekhab and by Donya-e-Eqtesad citing Mehr and Al Jazeera. "Iran wants a deal and I like making deals, but this proposal is unacceptable," he said, and claimed the United States holds full control of the Strait of Hormuz. According to Al Jazeera, the seven-day plan Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented in New York last week called for the US to carry out, on an accelerated timetable, its commitments under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, including releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions and ending the naval blockade of Iranian ports, in exchange for reopening the strait, with talks on a final deal starting on day seven. Before Trump spoke, The Wall Street Journal had reported, citing US officials, that he had ruled the plan out; a US official also told Al Jazeera that Washington was in no hurry to respond, although indirect talks mediated by Qatar are continuing. The stance matters for Iran's currency and gold markets, which are sensitive to news on the talks and on Hormuz.

Iran's Customs Administration said on Saturday, September 26, 2026, according to Tasnim, that it has issued no notice or circular in recent days changing import duties on mobile phones. It said a document circulating on some social networks as a tariff increase on iPhones is fake. Import duties on mobile phones, iPhones in particular, are a key driver of their domestic prices, and reports of changes usually move prices in the phone market. With the denial, current import duty rates remain unchanged.

Ramin Kashef-Azar, CEO of Imam Khomeini Airport City Company, told Tasnim on Saturday, September 26, 2026 that apart from routes already cancelled, including the UAE, Iraq and Georgia, no foreign country has announced new restrictions on Iranian flights. He noted that flights to Saudi Arabia were not operating even before the latest restrictions. Kashef-Azar said outbound and return flights to Turkey, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Pakistan are operating normally at Imam Khomeini Airport, and Civil Aviation Organization officials are in talks to reopen the closed routes. The halt in flights to some neighbours, especially the UAE, also raises the cost and time of moving time-sensitive goods in Iran's foreign trade.

According to China's state news agency Xinhua, as published by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Saturday, September 26, 2026, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump reached an eight-point consensus during the Chinese president's three-day visit to the United States from September 23 to 25. The third point says Iran must honour its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons and that no country or entity should impose tolls on international waterways. Other points cover building a "constructive, strategic and stable relationship", endorsing a reciprocal tariff reduction deal worth "$30 billion" and the extension of the Kuala Lumpur trade consultation outcomes, counter-narcotics cooperation, and a dialogue mechanism on artificial intelligence whose next round is due in November. The White House also confirmed, according to Al Jazeera, that the two countries will open a bilateral communication channel for AI incidents. China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil.

President Masoud Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera in an interview aired on Saturday, September 26, 2026: "We have no trust in the American side and do not know on what basis an understanding can be reached with it." He said mediators Qatar and Pakistan are conveying Iran's messages to Washington, and that the talks rest on the memorandum of understanding the two sides reached in June, on which the US must clarify its position. Al Jazeera reported that as of Saturday the US government had not publicly responded to Iran's seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Pezeshkian placed responsibility for the strait's closure on the United States and said the waterway would reopen to commercial shipping if negotiations ended the war. Donya-e-Eqtesad also reported that, asked about a meeting with Trump, he said there was no reason to meet when the American side had not honoured the previous agreement.

Central Bank of Iran Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said on Saturday, September 26, 2026 (4 Mehr 1405) that point-to-point inflation, which had risen for 15 months since the 12-day war and reached 84.4 percent in Mordad 1405 (the month ending August 22, 2026), fell to 83.8 percent in Shahrivar 1405 (the month ending September 22, 2026). He put monthly inflation for Shahrivar at about 3.9 percent. Hemmati said a monthly rate of around 4 percent is still high, but that despite pressure from the war, sanctions, the blockade and the inflation expectations they create, the central bank's control of liquidity growth has significantly slowed the pace of inflation, which had climbed sharply in the first months of the year. He added that the decline is small, but the fact that the point-to-point trend has turned down matters in itself, and the bank is focused on bringing it lower.

Gholamreza Tajgardoon, chairman of parliament's Plan, Budget and Accounts Committee, told Tasnim on Saturday, 26 September 2026, that the 1405 budget law left room for the government to raise spending if revenues and resources change, and that the government therefore needs no parliamentary approval if it wants to increase the food coupon (kalabarg) amount. He noted, however, that the budget is currently in deficit and that new commitments cannot be taken on under a deficit unless they are necessary. Tajgardoon also said the report of the Seventh Development Plan oversight council would be submitted to parliament the same day, and that parliament is waiting for the government to propose the needed amendments to the plan's provisions, targets and quantitative tables. The remarks come a day after the spokesman of parliament's social committee said the food coupon credit increase would take effect by 15 Mehr (7 October).

The media office of Iraq's prime minister said in a statement on Saturday, 26 September 2026, that following US Treasury Department measures on Iranian flights to airports in the region, Baghdad is holding direct talks with the American side to have some Iraqi airports exempted. According to the statement, the aim is to resume Iranian flights for humanitarian purposes, including medical treatment, education, pilgrimage travel and the interests of citizens. The position comes after Najaf airport stopped accepting Iranian flights and Iran's Civil Aviation Organization on Friday halted ticket sales for flights to Iraq and ordered full refunds.

According to a report by Tasnim News Agency, republished by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Saturday, 26 September 2026, the 187th cash subsidy round (Shahrivar) added 104,249 people to the population covered in income deciles four to nine, lifting it from 45.224 million in Mordad to 45.328 million. The number of household heads rose by 31,505 to about 15.702 million. Total payments to these deciles rose by 30.7 billion tomans, from 13.5103 trillion tomans (hemat) in Mordad to 13.541 trillion tomans in Shahrivar, an increase of 0.23 percent, paid through 28 agent banks. The report attributes the changes to monthly updates of the Iranian welfare database, new births and newly formed households.

According to Al Jazeera, in a report published early on Saturday, 4 Mehr 1405 (September 26, 2026), Iran has formally delivered its seven-day plan to end the war to Washington through Qatar and is now awaiting a US response. A White House official told CNN the Trump administration was having "positive and constructive discussions through the mediators," and US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told Al Jazeera the door to diplomacy with Iran has been open from the start. Qatar also said its foreign minister spoke with Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday, September 25, about de-escalation and the conditions for renewed dialogue. Under the plan, the US would lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales, release an estimated $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets and observe a regional ceasefire including Lebanon and Yemen; in return, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz on day six, and nuclear talks would begin on day seven. US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said, according to Al Jazeera, that it has redirected 122 commercial vessels so far to enforce the blockade against Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meeting Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, briefed him on the understanding between Iran and Oman on safe shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Khabar Online, in a report published early on Saturday, 4 Mehr 1405 (September 26, 2026), Araghchi spoke of Iran's resolve to build trust and regional security mechanisms based on cooperation among the region's states, and the two sides also discussed improving bilateral ties between Tehran and Riyadh. Separately, Oman's Foreign Ministry, as reported by Mehr News Agency, said its foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, met Araghchi in New York, and the two exchanged views on ongoing consultations to secure maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and guarantee freedom of movement for ships in support of global trade and energy flows. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been one of the main drivers of global oil prices and of expectations in Iran's currency market in recent weeks.

Iran's National Tax Administration has amended its directive on handling violations under clauses B and C of Article 22 of the Store Terminals and Taxpayer System Law, Mehr News Agency reported on Friday, 3 Mehr 1405 (September 25, 2026). Under the amended text, a covered taxpayer who did not use a store terminal or fiscal memory at all during the fiscal year or the compliance period faces a fine equal to 10 percent of total sales or 20 million rials, whichever is higher, and loses tax exemptions, the zero rate and incentives under the Direct Taxes Law for that year. The key change is a new note: a taxpayer who issued electronic invoices in the taxpayer system for part of their sales, or made part of their sales through a bank card reader or electronic payment gateway used as a store terminal, will not be subject to the clause B penalty. The amendment thus separates taxpayers who made no use of these tools at all from those who recorded part of their sales through approved channels.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in an interview with Fox News on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly whose transcript was published on Friday, 3 Mehr 1405 (September 25, 2026) via the presidential website, answered a question on whether Iran was ready to dilute its stock of 60 percent enriched uranium by saying: "Yes, within the framework of international law, we are ready to accept whatever is set out in the NPT." Pezeshkian also said Iran is ready to continue on the basis of the memorandum of understanding it had signed with the Trump administration, and on the Strait of Hormuz said that as long as the US does not let Iran's own ships pass, "naturally there will be no right of passage for other ships either." He stressed that Iran did not start the war and will not, but will respond forcefully if attacked. Another part of the same interview, about Iran's money being blocked in China, was reported earlier on Sahmino. The nuclear file and the state of Hormuz have been the two main drivers of currency and oil market expectations in recent days.

David Perdue, the US ambassador to China, said in remarks reported by EcoIran, citing Entekhab, on Friday, 3 Mehr 1405 (September 25, 2026), that Donald Trump told Xi Jinping at their Thursday meeting in Washington that any Chinese help to Iran, direct or indirect, whether intelligence, parts or military equipment, is "completely unacceptable." Perdue added that Washington had delivered the same message clearly to Beijing weeks earlier. Trump described the meeting with Xi as "useful and very constructive," but according to Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Reuters, it produced no sign of progress on disputed issues including trade, Taiwan and the Iran war, and China's offshore yuan was unchanged at 6.721 per dollar on Friday. China is Iran's largest oil buyer and largest trading partner, so Washington's stance on that relationship bears directly on Iran's exports and its access to foreign currency.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said in an interview with Foreign Affairs, published in Persian by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Friday, 3 Mehr 1405 (September 25, 2026), that any agreement to end the Iran war must lead to a lasting peace, not a temporary pause that ends in renewed fighting "within three, four or five months." He called for substantive talks between Iran and the Persian Gulf states, individually or as a group, alongside the negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Gargash said such talks should go beyond immediate, transactional issues and address confidence-building and non-aggression. He said Abu Dhabi had opposed the war from the start and that the UAE had expected an Iranian attack, but not one of this breadth and persistence. The position comes a day after the UAE suspended all flights by Iranian airlines; the Dubai route is one of Iran's main channels for trade and foreign currency.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a news conference on Friday, 3 Mehr 1405 (September 25, 2026), that the Mecca joint defence agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan is not directed against Iran, Israel or any third country. According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Mehr, he described the agreement as reflecting "the shared responsibility of the three countries for a safer, more peaceful and more prosperous future" and said it would be wrong at this stage to speak of an automatic Turkish military response to any incident in Iraq, Yemen or elsewhere. According to the same report, the agreement rests on the right of self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter and treats an armed attack on one of the three countries as an attack on all, but the type and scale of assistance are set by the request of the country attacked and by consultation among the parties. The remarks came a day after the three countries' military chiefs moved toward an urgent meeting under the pact amid the fighting in Yemen.

Iran's Civil Aviation Organization said on Friday, 3 Mehr 1405 (September 25, 2026), according to Mehr News Agency citing the Roads and Urban Development Ministry, that following the halt of Najaf flights that morning it has instructed airlines to stop displaying and selling tickets on the Iraq route, especially Najaf, until further notice. Under the order, airlines must refund the full fare of suspended flights as soon as possible and without any cancellation penalty. The organization also asked airlines to schedule domestic flights to Iran's border airports to move passengers stranded at airports in both countries, and said permits and airport slots for these flights will be issued immediately. Travelers have been advised not to buy tickets on the route until the suspension is officially lifted. The decision followed Najaf airport's halt of Iranian flights until further notice; the UAE, Georgia and Azerbaijan had earlier suspended Iranian flights as well.

Germany's consumer confidence index, published by the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions and GfK, fell to minus 30.6 points for October, from a revised minus 26.8 in September, against a forecast of minus 27.4 in a Reuters poll of economists. The data was released on Friday, September 25, 2026, and reported by Mehr News Agency citing Reuters. The sharpest drop came in income expectations, which fell 16.7 points to minus 15, the lowest since April 2026. The willingness to save rose 6 points to 21.5, the highest since the 2008 financial crisis, while the willingness to buy slipped one point to minus 10.8. Economic expectations, by contrast, edged up for a fifth straight month. Rolf Buerkl, who heads the survey, said most households expect high energy prices to erode their purchasing power. Germany is Europe's largest economy, and weaker consumption there weighs on energy demand and the outlook for the euro.

European Central Bank data released on Friday, September 25, 2026, showed annual growth in bank lending to eurozone companies eased to 4.2 percent in August from 4.4 percent in July, which had been the highest since mid-2023. According to Mehr News Agency citing Reuters, lending growth to households held steady at 3.1 percent in August, still the fastest pace since early 2023. The same data showed annual growth in the M3 money supply rose to 3.5 percent in August from 3.4 percent in July, in line with the forecast of economists polled by Reuters. The figures come as expensive energy, driven by disrupted oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz, keeps eurozone inflation elevated, shaping the ECB's policy path and in turn the euro, a currency also used in Iran's foreign exchange dealings.

Fazlollah Ranjbar, spokesman for the Iranian parliament's social committee, said on Friday, September 25, 2026, in remarks reported by EcoIran citing Tasnim, that according to the latest information between 300,000 and 500,000 tomans will be added to the current food coupon (kalabarg) credit, though the increase will not be the same for everyone. Of the roughly 86 million people covered by the scheme, about 40 to 50 million are set to receive the increase, with some recipients getting up to the 500,000 toman ceiling. Ranjbar said the measure does not need a new parliamentary vote and that the government will fund it from savings and by removing some high-income recipients, with eligibility determined together with the Economy Ministry and the tax administration. He said the plan is scheduled to take effect by 15 Mehr 1405 (October 7, 2026). He added that parliament believes the increases alone do not meet household needs and that the one million toman coupon credit should preserve the purchasing power of the defined basket of goods. The remarks follow the head of the Plan and Budget Organization's announcement on Thursday, September 24, that coupon amounts would rise in Mehr.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday, September 24, 2026, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, that Iran has passed a plan to the United States through intermediaries under which, if certain conditions are met, the Strait of Hormuz would open at the end of the seventh day and talks would resume. "The moment they accept this plan, from the next day, this timetable can start," he said. According to Al Jazeera, Qatar is relaying messages between the two sides in New York. Al Jazeera, citing The New York Times, reported that under the plan hostilities on all fronts, including Gaza and Lebanon, would stop within seven days, Washington would release Iran's frozen assets, estimated at no less than $12 billion, waive sanctions on Iranian oil and lift its naval blockade, and talks on the nuclear programme would begin immediately. A White House official told CNN the discussions through mediators were "positive and constructive", while The New York Times quoted an official as saying Washington would not rush into a deal. The proposal closely resembles the June 17, 2026 memorandum of understanding, which set a 60-day window for negotiations and unravelled in July. The status of the Strait of Hormuz is one of the main drivers of oil prices and of expectations in Iran's currency and gold markets.

Hadi Ahmadi, spokesman for the Iranian Pharmacists Association, told Khabar Online, in an interview republished by EcoIran on Friday, September 25, 2026 (3 Mehr 1405), that acetaminophen codeine has become scarce in pharmacies and is now being distributed to them in limited, rationed quantities. He said part of the drug's raw material used to come from narcotics seized inside Iran, and that since opium cultivation was banned in Afghanistan, seizures, and therefore access to the raw material, have declined. Ahmadi said that in normal times the shortfall would be covered by importing the raw material, but land, air and sea routes as well as banking channels for transferring foreign currency now face restrictions, so caution is needed in managing and using medicines. According to Khabar Online, patients with prescriptions are having to visit several pharmacies to find the drug. The report comes a day after preferential currency for medicine was cut by $500 million to $3 billion.

Colombia's foreign ministry said in a statement that the country formally severed diplomatic relations with Iran as of September 19, 2026. According to Khabar Online, citing Sky News, Bogota attributed the decision to "Western Hemisphere national security" considerations but said consular relations between the two countries remain in place. Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Asr Iran, also reported the statement on Friday, September 25, 2026. Colombia's government, without presenting evidence, accused Iran of links to groups involved in drug trafficking and criticised disruption to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The decision was taken by the government of Abelardo de la Espriella, who succeeded Gustavo Petro on August 7 and is redrawing Colombia's foreign policy. Trade between the two countries is small, and the direct effect on Iran's markets is seen as limited.

Najaf airport said inbound and outbound Iranian flights were cancelled from 2 a.m. on Friday, September 25, 2026 (3 Mehr 1405), and that it has stopped accepting Iranian flights until further notice. According to Khabar Online, citing Fars, Baghdad airport had dropped out of Iran's flight network a few days earlier following US sanctions on Iran's aviation sector, and Iran's Civil Aviation Organization had shifted Baghdad-bound flights to Najaf. Donya-e-Eqtesad also reported the halt at Najaf on Friday morning. A manager of a pilgrimage travel agency whose group was due to fly home on Friday said the caravans would have to return to Iran overland, even though some airlines were still listed on Tehran's departure board for Najaf. Najaf is the second Iraqi airport this week, after Baghdad, to close to Iranian flights, and the route is one of the busiest foreign routes for Iranian carriers.

According to EcoIran, citing Sad Online, nine bridges and two tunnels in Hormozgan province that were damaged in US strikes on July 17 and 18, 2026, have been rebuilt with the involvement of the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, the provincial road maintenance department and local contractors. Sharafi, Hormozgan's director general of roads and road transport, said the work has reached its final stages and most of it is complete. According to the report, published early on Friday, September 25, the main rebuilding of the bridges and one of the two tunnels has been finished after about two months of continuous work, and some of them are due to be opened on Saturday, September 26, in the presence of the Minister of Roads and Urban Development as part of a national programme. The routes are among Hormozgan's main road links.

Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan announced on Thursday, September 24, 2026, that their army chiefs of staff will hold an urgent meeting to discuss ways to support Saudi Arabia under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the announcement followed a meeting of the three countries' foreign ministers in New York; no date or form of support has been announced. The pact was signed on August 7, 2026, and treats an attack on any one of the three countries as an attack on all of them. The move follows fresh Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia; Riyadh said on Thursday it had intercepted six ballistic missiles fired towards Taif and Yanbu. Tension in the Red Sea and around the Bab al-Mandeb strait has been one of the factors driving global oil prices in recent days.

The US Senate on Thursday, September 24, 2026, rejected a resolution drafted under the War Powers Act that called for halting the Trump administration's military action against Iran, by a vote of 49 in favour to 50 against. With the result, the Senate placed no new limit on the US administration's authority to continue military operations against Iran. The vote came as Tehran and Washington pursue renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, a track to which the currency, gold and oil markets remain sensitive.

The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority announced on Thursday, September 24, 2026, in a statement carried by the official WAM news agency, the suspension of all flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the UAE, citing US sanctions on Iranian carriers. According to AFP, an Iran Airtour flight from Tehran to Dubai was cancelled shortly before departure on Thursday morning. With the decision, the UAE joins Oman, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan in restricting or halting access for Iranian airlines. Majid Akhavan, spokesman for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, told IRNA that diplomatic and aviation talks are under way to lift the restrictions and restore flights to the UAE. According to the latest published list, Iran's flights to China, Turkiye, Russia, Najaf, Armenia, Pakistan, Belarus and Afghanistan continue. Dubai is a main destination for Iranian carriers and one of the key hubs for Iran's trade and currency transfers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday, September 24, 2026, in a meeting with Donald Trump at the White House, that confrontation between Beijing and Washington harms both countries while cooperation serves mutual interests. Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Asr Iran, reported that he called permanent channels of dialogue between the two militaries essential to managing tensions and said trade cooperation can be strengthened by expanding direct flights between the two countries. The meeting followed the extension of the Busan trade truce to January 10, reported earlier in Sahmino's newsroom. Al Jazeera reported that trade, AI and Iran are on the agenda of the summit, the leaders' third in-person meeting in a year. On the same day, China's defence ministry spokesperson called Taiwan the most important issue in relations between the two countries. China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil, so any agreement or dispute between Beijing and Washington over Iran can affect Iran's oil exports and currency market.

According to S&P Global's flash estimate released on Thursday, September 24, 2026, the eurozone Composite PMI rose to 53.1 in September from 52.0 in August, while analysts in a Bloomberg survey had expected a dip to 51.7. It is the fastest private-sector growth in about three and a half years. Manufacturing reached a 55-month high and services a 10-month high; Germany posted its fastest growth in almost a year and France returned to growth for the first time in 10 months. At the same time, input costs and output prices rose at their fastest pace in four months. Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Bloomberg, reported that this resilience in the face of energy costs driven by regional tensions strengthens the case for another European Central Bank rate hike before year end, a shift that also reaches Iran's currency market through the euro rate.

According to figures from the Iran Water Resources Management Company published by Khabar Online on Thursday, September 24, 2026, the Lar dam held 44 million cubic metres as of September 19, 2026 (28 Shahrivar 1405), leaving it 5% full. On the same date the Mamloo dam held 31 million cubic metres and was 12% full, the weakest position among the dams supplying Tehran. By contrast, the Amirkabir dam held 140 million cubic metres and was 78% full, a marked improvement on last year according to the same data. The Latyan dam held 33 million cubic metres (44% full) and the Taleghan dam 179 million cubic metres (43% full). Khabar Online noted that after six years of drought, rainfall in Esfand and Farvardin (late winter and early spring) improved some reservoirs but cannot offset several years of low rainfall, and that curbing consumption remains necessary.

According to Mehr News Agency, 281 kilometres of main roads and highways in Sistan and Baluchestan province were opened on the morning of Thursday, September 24, 2026 at a ceremony in Chabahar attended by Roads and Urban Development Minister Farzaneh Sadegh. The minister said the projects were built to improve access between parts of the province, ease traffic bottlenecks, shorten travel times and make it easier to move passengers and freight. Houshang Bazvand, deputy minister and head of the Transport Infrastructure Construction and Development Company, said more than 1,116 kilometres of the country's coastal corridor lie in the province, and that the Jask to Chabahar coastal route and the east-west corridor from the Mirjaveh border to Khuzestan are development priorities. With Chabahar port and its eastern borders, Sistan and Baluchestan is one of Iran's key provinces for goods transit.

Amir Roshanbakhsh, deputy for international business promotion at Iran's Trade Promotion Organization, said in an interview published by EcoIran on Thursday, September 24, 2026 that Iran exported about 155 million tons of goods and imported 42 million tons in the Iranian year 1404 (March 2025 to March 2026). More than 100 million tons of the exports and about 30 million tons of the imports went through the country's southern routes, he said. Roshanbakhsh added that at this volume of trade, shifting cargo entirely from sea to road and rail is not possible, and logistical constraints remain one of the main challenges for the country's trade. EcoIran wrote in the same report that foreign trade figures for the first five months of 1405 have declined, with disruption to transport routes among the factors weighing on them. The figures show how heavily Iran's trade depends on its southern ports and the Strait of Hormuz route.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in its September 2026 Interim Economic Outlook titled "Resilience in the face of successive shocks", forecast global growth of about 2.9% in 2026 and 3% in 2027. According to EcoIran's report on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (1 Mehr 1405), the OECD projects US growth of 2.2% in 2026 and 2.1% in 2027, about 1% for the euro area in both years, and 4.5% for China in 2026 and 4.2% in 2027. The OECD's baseline assumes Brent crude averages about $105 a barrel in the fourth quarter of 2026 and about $85 in 2027, and warns that continued disruption to energy output and exports, or restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, could keep energy prices higher for longer. It forecasts G20 inflation of about 4.1% in 2026 and expects the Federal Reserve to raise rates once more in the fourth quarter of 2026, holding them in a 4% to 4.25% range through the end of 2027. The OECD says long-term government bond yields in many major economies have reached their highest levels in 15 years or more.

According to Al Jazeera, Azerbaijan and Georgia on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (1 Mehr 1405) confirmed suspending Iranian flights, and flights to Baghdad and Muscat have also been halted. Citing the ISNA news agency, Al Jazeera reported that all Iranian flights to and from the United Arab Emirates were cancelled on Thursday, September 24. The moves follow the US Treasury's extension of sanctions to 27 Iranian airlines and its threat of secondary sanctions against airports and companies that service Iranian aircraft. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told state television that if a country cooperates with the US restrictions, its airports will no longer be able to operate flights to Iran, but he did not specify what form a response would take. Hormatollah Rafiei, head of Iran's association of air travel and tourism agencies, told Mehr News Agency that Oman has cancelled Iranian flights and that Iraq has banned Baghdad flights while keeping Najaf flights running; flights to Turkey (except for two airlines), China, Malaysia and Indonesia continue, he said. Al Jazeera, citing aviation analytics firm Cirium, reported that Iran's international flight capacity in August 2026 was 49% lower than a year earlier.

The yield on the 30-year US Treasury bond rose more than 3 basis points to about 5.444% in trading on Thursday, September 24, 2026, its highest level since 2004. According to EcoIran, the 10-year yield also reached around 5.1%, near its highest since 2007. Japan's 10-year yield was reported at about 3.07% and Britain's at about 5.35%. Brent crude holding around $100 and expectations of further Federal Reserve hikes, after the Fed raised rates by 25 basis points at its September meeting, were cited as drivers. The pressure spread to other markets. According to EcoIran and ArzDigital, gold fell about 0.7% on the same day to around $4,260 an ounce, the US dollar index rose to about 101.2, its highest since July, and bitcoin slipped to about $83,300. Nasdaq 100 futures fell more than 1% and S&P 500 futures about 0.6%. Higher dollar yields and a firmer dollar tend to raise the cost of holding gold and feed through the global ounce price into Iran's domestic gold market.

Mehdi Pirsalehi, head of Iran's Food and Drug Administration, said on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at a panel on the resilience of the medicine supply chain, that $500 million of preferential foreign currency for medicine has been removed from the budget, bringing the preferential allocation down to $3 billion. He said a further $900 million of medicine's preferential currency has been switched to the non-preferential rate. The remarks were reported by Mehr News Agency and republished by Donya-e-Eqtesad. Pirsalehi added that pharmaceutical companies sourced non-preferential currency at about 70,000 tomans last year, and that the rate has now risen to 170,000 tomans. He put the size of the medicine market in the current Iranian year (1405) at about 750 to 800 trillion tomans, and said the Health Insurance Organization is more than 10 months in arrears to the supply chain and the Social Security Organization about 7 months. The biggest risk facing the sector today, he said, is the rial and financing risk.

Seyed Hassan Hosseini, the governor of Mashhad, said that over the past two months traditional bread prices in the city have risen by an average of 50 percent and sangak bread by about 70 percent. The remarks were published on Thursday, September 24, 2026, citing Mehr News Agency. According to the governor, flour played no part in the increase: government and subsidized bakeries pay only a transport charge of 1,000 tomans per kilogram, and semi-state bakeries pay 12,000 tomans per kilogram of flour. He cited shop rent, wages, insurance, taxes, and water, electricity and gas bills as the main drivers of the higher bread prices.

Seyed Hamid Pourmohammadi, vice president and head of Iran's Plan and Budget Organization, said the value of the electronic food coupon (kalabarg) for eligible recipients will be increased in the month of Mehr 1405 (from September 23, 2026). The remarks were published on Thursday, September 24, 2026, citing ILNA. According to Pourmohammadi, coupons for people covered by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and the Welfare Organization, and for those these two bodies identify as waiting in line or entitled to a larger amount, will be raised without any action on their part. He added that by next week text messages will be sent to 44 million identified people asking them to complete a declaration, to determine whether they belong to the groups that should receive support, after which the increased coupon will be paid. The report did not state the new coupon amount.

As US aviation restrictions took effect from the early hours of Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (1 Mehr 1405), Baghdad airport stopped accepting Iranian flights and Muscat airport stopped accepting Iranian passengers, according to a spokesman for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization. EcoIran's review of Imam Khomeini International Airport's schedule that day showed 16 departures and 22 arrivals, of which one flight was cancelled and 8 were delayed. Most flights served Turkish cities, and flights to Najaf, Yerevan, Kabul, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Dubai also operated. The CEO of Imam Khomeini Airport City said flights to Najaf and China are running on schedule and that, on the Turkey routes, only Mahan Air has faced restrictions. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, by contrast, claimed in a Fox News interview that 80 to 90 percent of Iran's foreign flights have been halted. The US has already sanctioned 38 Iranian airlines and warned that countries providing them with refuelling, landing or ticketing services could face limits on access to the dollar financial system.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (1 Mehr 1405) that Washington and Beijing had agreed to extend the "Busan Agreement." He said the trade deal, which was due to expire on November 10, has been extended to January 10. The agreement has temporarily held off heavy tariffs between the two countries. Bessent said he met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng ahead of the visit to explore "a bigger deal" rather than a series of smaller ones. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, Washington time, where Donald Trump greeted him in person at the start of a three-day visit. According to Al Jazeera, trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and the Iran file are the likely topics of the leaders' talks. China is one of the main buyers of Iranian oil, and the course of trade ties between the world's two largest economies bears directly on oil demand and commodity prices.

According to a Financial Times report carried by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 (1 Mehr 1405), Chinese President Xi Jinping, on a trip marking his first visit to Washington in 11 years, will meet President Donald Trump tomorrow, Thursday, September 24. Analysts say Beijing's most urgent goal is extending the Busan trade truce, which expires on November 10; Washington has accused Beijing of falling short on commitments to ease rare earth exports and has threatened only a short, six month extension, while China is seeking an extension through the end of Trump's presidential term and has committed to purchasing 25 million tons of soybeans and another 17 billion dollars of US agricultural products. Four other issues on the agenda are AI safety cooperation, de-escalating tensions in West Asia and the Iran war, which the Financial Times says Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi previously raised in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, major Chinese purchases such as Boeing aircraft, and opposition to US arms support for Taiwan. A recent rise in global oil prices, following the blockage of Saudi Arabia's East West pipeline, has added fresh pressure on China's economy.

According to IRNA, citing Al Jazeera, in a report published Tuesday, 1 Mehr 1405 (September 23, 2026), US special envoy Steve Witkoff said mediators had successfully concluded a fresh round of talks with the Iranian delegation and voiced hope the talks would be constructive and promising. He said the mediators would continue working between the two sides in the coming days. Per the same report, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday night, in a meeting with Arab and Islamic leaders, that Witkoff and Jared Kushner had held a very constructive meeting with Iran's mediators that day, adding that conditions were such that the two sides could reach a deal. Arab media had earlier reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented Iran's proposals to mediators on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York.

According to Al Jazeera, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday, September 21, 2026 (30 Shahrivar 1405), that starting September 23 (1 Mehr), all Iranian airlines will effectively be shut out of operations worldwide. He warned the sanctions extend beyond the carriers themselves, saying any company that fuels Iranian aircraft, provides landing services or sells tickets for them will be cut off from the US dollar system. The move extends the Trump administration's "Operation Economic Outcast" against Iran and follows the September 17 (26 Shahrivar) US sanctioning of all 27 Iranian airlines. Al Jazeera reported that Mahan Air, Iran's largest international carrier, suspended flights to Istanbul, Ankara and Muscat last week, while flag carrier Iran Air now serves only Baghdad, Najaf and Istanbul. Iran's Civil Aviation Organization data for the year to March 2026 showed 46.2 million passengers traveled in and out of Iran, of whom 7.2 million flew on Iranian carriers.

According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Bloomberg, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is finalizing a 20 billion dollar partnership with JPMorgan Chase's asset management arm, per an official statement released Monday, September 21, 2026 (30 Shahrivar 1405), covering public and private equity and credit markets. Under the plan, 15 billion dollars will go to public equities and 5 billion to private markets focused on mid sized US companies. The deal follows QIA's January agreement to allocate up to 25 billion dollars to Goldman Sachs's asset management unit. Qatar's 580 billion dollar sovereign wealth fund continues expanding its international investments despite a budget shortfall driven by a sharp drop in the country's oil and gas revenue and roughly 20 billion dollars in damage from the March strike on its Ras Laffan facility.

According to the Financial Times, cited by EcoIran, disruption to Iran's sea routes has pushed truck traffic toward its land borders with Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan, turning congestion there into a new trade bottleneck. Wait times for trucks returning from Turkey have reached 24 days, and up to 23 days at one Afghan border crossing, with about 3,700 trucks backed up on the Iranian side of one Turkey border crossing. Iran customs data show non-oil exports fell 28 percent year on year to about 15 billion dollars, and imports fell 26 percent to about 17 billion dollars, in the five months to August 22, 2026 (Mordad 31, 1405). By contrast, Iran Turkey trade rose 19 percent to 3.2 billion dollars in the first half of the year.

According to the latest data from Iran's Statistical Center, published by EcoIran, Iran's economy contracted 10.1 percent in the Iranian spring quarter of 1405 (the quarter ending in July 2026). More than 60 percent of the decline, equal to 6.7 percentage points, came from falling oil sector output. The services sector subtracted 1.9 percentage points and industry and mining subtracted 1.6 percentage points. Agriculture was the only sector with positive growth, adding 0.1 percentage points. The report noted that industry accounted for about 30 percent of economic growth in the spring of 1400 (2021), but that share has shrunk in recent quarters.

According to Bloomberg, cited by Donya-e-Eqtesad, Qatar sold 3 billion dollars of international bonds on Monday, September 21, 2026, its first international public bond sale since last November, across 5 and 10 year maturities. Peak order books topped 7.7 billion dollars before settling above 6.8 billion dollars. Final yields were set at 55 and 65 basis points over US Treasuries for the 5 and 10 year tranches respectively, about 30 basis points tighter than initial guidance. Official Qatari finance ministry data show the country's oil and gas revenue, which stood at 9 billion dollars in the first quarter, plunged to just 200 million dollars in the second quarter. According to JPMorgan, Qatar posted a second quarter budget deficit of 5.8 billion dollars, equal to 11.4 percent of quarterly GDP, its largest quarterly deficit on record. S&P has kept Qatar's credit rating at AA.

Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi told Iran's parliament on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, in response to a lawmaker's question about the country's power shortfall and water scarcity, that attacks on water and power infrastructure during the recent war struck more than 2,000 points, knocking 4,200 megawatts of generation capacity offline. He said 14 power industry specialists were killed in the attacks. Aliabadi said the ministry had planned to cut the power shortfall to its lowest level in a decade this year, but the damage from the attacks set that plan back.

Iran's Targeted Subsidies Organization said the 187th round of cash subsidies, for the month of Shahrivar 1405, worth 135,410 billion rials, was deposited to the accounts of 15,702,503 household heads in income deciles four through nine nationwide and became withdrawable on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. According to the report, published by EcoIran citing Khabar Online, the deposit was made after deducting installments such as Arbaeen pilgrimage loans, COVID era loans, and credit purchases owed by household heads. Under the decile classification set by the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, deciles one through three, paid on the 25th of each month, receive 400,000 tomans per person, while deciles four through nine, paid at each month's end, receive 300,000 tomans per person.

Iran's Central Bank has notified the banking network of a roadmap to expand electronic checks, implementing a provision of the country's Seventh Development Plan law that bars paper checks starting the plan's third year. Under letter No. 65381/05 dated 25 Khordad 1405 and a decision by the Central Bank's Executive Board at its 17th session on 16 Shahrivar 1405, the four phase roadmap takes effect from the start of Mehr 1405 (late September 2026). In phase one (Mehr through the end of Azar 1405), the share of electronic checkbooks issued out of each bank's total checkbooks, and the share of electronic checks deposited through non in person channels, must both reach 25 percent. That threshold rises to 40 percent in phase two (Dey through Esfand 1405), 60 percent in phase three (Farvardin through Ordibehesht 1406), and 80 percent in phase four (Khordad through Tir 1406). At the same time, the maximum number of pages in a paper checkbook for individual customers will shrink progressively from 100 pages in phase one to 10 pages in phase four. The Central Bank said it will continuously monitor bank performance, and banks that miss the targets will face restrictive measures under Article 25, clause 3 of the Central Bank Law.

Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati said on Monday, September 21, 2026 (30 Shahrivar 1405) that the pace of liquidity growth has eased in recent months. According to a Central Bank statement carried by Donya e Eqtesad, five month liquidity growth through the end of Mordad 1405 reached 19 percent versus the end of 1404, compared with 18 percent in the same five months a year earlier. Hemmati said he hopes that containing liquidity growth will help the slowdown in inflation's pace, which began in Tir, continue through Shahrivar. He added that the Central Bank and the banking system financed 4,100 hemat (1 hemat equals 1,000 billion tomans, so about 4,100 trillion tomans) in production loans over the first five months of the year, up 68 percent from the start of the year, with a further 269 hemat financed through supply chain financing tools.