Newsroom
Short, verified market news summaries; every item names its source and publication date.
US Labor Day Gas Price Hits Record $4.15 a Gallon as Sanders Calls for Immediate End to War With Iran
Senior US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont wrote on X on Saturday, September 5, 2026 (14 Shahrivar 1405), that the national average US gasoline price had never before topped $4 a gallon on the Labor Day holiday, but reached $4.15 today. According to Mehr News Agency, he attributed the rise directly to what he called Trump's illegal and disastrous war against Iran, saying the war has not only caused thousands of casualties but is devastating the US economy. Sanders closed his post by saying the United States must end the war right now. The remarks came on the same day CENTCOM said American forces struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to an alleged Iranian missile launch at two US warships.
Mehr News Agency
13th Islamic Treasury Bond Auction Sees Weak Demand; Only One of Four Symbols Sold
According to central bank data, Iran's 13th Islamic treasury bond auction was held on Wednesday, 11 Shahrivar 1405 (September 2, 2026), offering about 48 trillion tomans of bonds across four symbols, Arad296, Arad297, Arad299 and Arad304, but only Arad304 found buyers. According to Ecoiran, the buyers were primary dealers, who placed a combined 20,370 billion tomans in bids for that symbol. Total sales in this auction were lower than the average per-auction sales under the new system (21,800 billion tomans) and lower than the previous three auctions, though still higher than sales levels from before the primary-dealer market was set up, when banks were required to buy the bonds. The yield on these bonds is set under an agreed contract between the government and the primary dealers.
Ecoiran
US Embassy in Bahrain Warns Citizens of Possible Flight Cancellations, Regional Airspace Closures
The US Embassy in Bahrain issued an urgent security alert on Saturday, September 5, 2026 (14 Shahrivar 1405), warning American citizens in the Middle East of possible flight cancellations and regional airspace closures. According to Ecoiran, the warning came as military tensions between Iran and the United States escalated in the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The alert was issued on the same day CENTCOM said American forces struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to what it described as Iranian Revolutionary Guard missile fire at a US aircraft carrier and a guided missile destroyer.
Ecoiran
Putin to Meet Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow Today as US Envoys' Trip Continues to Kyiv
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Saturday, September 5, 2026 (14 Shahrivar 1405), as part of talks to end the war in Ukraine. According to Mehr News Agency, citing TASS, the plane carrying the two American officials landed in Moscow at 12:52pm local time, where Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special representative for investment and foreign economic cooperation, greeted them at the airport. Per the report, Witkoff and Kushner are due to travel on to Kyiv after their Moscow meeting to continue talks with Ukrainian officials, as part of the Trump administration's push for a deal to end the Russia Ukraine war. Any progress in the talks could affect global market risk appetite and energy prices.
Mehr News Agency, citing TASS
Araghchi: Ending the War Hinges on US Return to Its Violated Islamabad Memorandum Commitments
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kazakhstan, on Saturday, September 5, 2026 (14 Shahrivar 1405), that the Islamabad Memorandum has been the central topic of every bilateral meeting held by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian with visiting heads of state. He said the memorandum, previously signed by the presidents of Iran and the United States, has been violated by Washington. According to Ecoiran, citing Tasnim News Agency, Araghchi said the main condition for ending the war and normalizing the situation is for the US to return to its commitments and abide by the memorandum's terms. He added that Iran's talks in Bishkek were strictly businesslike, without the usual protocol, and focused mainly on areas of economic cooperation. Araghchi described the solution as completely clear: Washington returning to the same agreement its president signed, after which, he said, everything could get back on the right track. The remarks came on a day when, according to CENTCOM, the United States struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to an alleged Iranian missile launch at two US warships.
Ecoiran, citing Tasnim
September Food Coupon to Charge in Three Rounds, First Round Activates on September 6
According to Khabaronline, the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare's latest announcement keeps the September (Shahrivar 1405) food coupon credit at 1 million tomans per person, charged in three rounds based on the last digit of the household head's national ID number: digits 0, 1 and 2 activate on 15 Shahrivar (September 6), digits 3 through 6 on 25 Shahrivar (September 16), and digits 7 through 9 on 5 Mehr (September 27). Ministry officials stressed that a charge made on 5 Shahrivar related to the previous round and should not be confused with the new one, and that no income decile has been removed from the program. Per the report, the coupon credit cannot be withdrawn as cash and can only be used at authorized stores. The head of parliament's social affairs committee has said raising the credit from 1 million to 2 million tomans is under consideration, but until it is formally approved and announced, the September payment remains based on the current 1 million toman per household member amount.
Khabaronline
Licensed Foreign Investment in Semnan Province Tops $628 Million Over the Past Year
According to Khabaronline, citing Khabara Semnan news agency, Mohammad Reza Kazemi, head of the investment services center at Semnan province's economic affairs and finance department, said 21 companies received new investment licenses in the province over the past year and one company raised its capital by 2.2 million dollars, bringing the combined total to more than 628 million dollars. Kazemi said 19 foreign companies attracted 2.55 million dollars in the same period, registered with Iran's Organization for Investment, Economic and Technical Assistance. He said the licensed investor companies come from countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas, calling the diversity a sign of favorable investment conditions in Semnan province.
Khabar Online, citing Khabaronline, via Khabara Semnan
Witkoff and Kushner Head to Moscow and Kyiv With a Plan to End the Ukraine War
According to Al Jazeera, US President Donald Trump said at the White House on Friday, September 4, 2026 (13 Shahrivar 1405), that his special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son in law, would travel to Kyiv and Moscow this weekend to try to revive peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Trump said the two are bringing an idea for peace but did not disclose details, adding there may be a good chance of reaching a deal. Citing Russia's TASS news agency, Al Jazeera reported Witkoff and Kushner would be in Moscow on Saturday and Sunday, their first visit since January. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the pair would be in Kyiv on Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier described the talks as frozen, and both sides have continued to escalate air attacks, with Russia striking Ukraine's SBU security service headquarters on Friday, wounding at least 12 people according to Kyiv's mayor. Khabaronline also confirmed on Saturday, September 5, with published footage, that the two envoys had arrived in Moscow.
Al Jazeera
Turkey Announces Restart of a Nuclear Research Reactor in Istanbul
According to Khabaronline, citing ISNA and Russia's RIA Novosti, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said authorities expect to soon restart the TR-2 research reactor in Istanbul. He said nuclear research and material testing would resume there shortly, and that results of theoretical studies would become observable in laboratories and research centers. The TR-2 research reactor, located at Turkey's Energy, Nuclear and Mineral Research Institute in western Istanbul, has received a new operating license after a long pause. Another research reactor is located at Istanbul Technical University. The news comes amid Turkey's plans to expand civilian nuclear infrastructure, as countries in the region seek to diversify their energy sources.
Khabaronline, citing ISNA and RIA Novosti
Central Bank Governor Reports Over 4,000 Trillion Tomans in Facilities Paid to the Economy
According to Ecoiran, Central Bank of Iran Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati told the 36th Islamic Banking Conference, held on 10 Shahrivar 1405 (September 1, 2026), that more than 4,000 trillion tomans in facilities have been disbursed to various parts of the economy since the start of the Iranian year, of which 2,650 trillion tomans went to productive sectors. The conference emphasized financing through GAM notes and factoring as ways to contain the inflationary effects of liquidity growth. In a separate analysis citing Mordad month inflation data, Ecoiran wrote that annual inflation could stand above 80 percent by the end of 1405 (March 2027), with point to point inflation around 64 percent, and that if average monthly inflation approaches 6 percent, overall goods and services inflation could reach triple digits by year end. This projection is Ecoiran's own estimate and analysis, not an official Central Bank figure.
Ecoiran
Poultry Union Head Announces What He Calls a Reasonable Egg Carton Price
According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Khabaronline, Hamidreza Kashani, chairman of Iran's Mihan Poultry Farmers Union, said on Friday, September 4, 2026 (13 Shahrivar 1405), that egg production costs currently exceed the sale price, and that a reasonable retail price would be 250,000 to 260,000 tomans per kilogram, equal to 500,000 to 520,000 tomans per 30 egg carton and 19,000 to 20,000 tomans per egg. Kashani said the farm gate price is currently about 200,000 tomans per kilogram, which is 70,000 tomans below the production cost and 30,000 tomans below the Agriculture Ministry's guidance price. He said egg production is expected to reach 115,000 tonnes in Shahrivar (roughly late August to late September), about 15,000 tonnes more than domestic demand, while egg exports have fallen 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes from a year earlier.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Khabaronline
New York Times: Iran Unlikely to Accept US Terms Before American Midterm Elections
According to ISNA, carried by Donya-e-Eqtesad early on Saturday, September 5, 2026 (14 Shahrivar 1405), the New York Times reported, based on a new US intelligence assessment, that there is no evidence Iran is willing to accept US terms before America's congressional midterm elections. The assessment, citing US officials, said Iran has grown more confident in its ability to target US bases in West Asia and has strengthened its resolve to counter US military action. Ecoiran separately reported the same New York Times assessment the same day, writing that Iran appears "prepared for a long war." The reports followed recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who has also said he does not know when the conflict between the United States and Iran will end.
ISNA, citing The New York Times
Amid Reports of Possible Intervention, Senior Iranian Official Warns South Korea Over Strait of Hormuz
According to Mehr News Agency, carried by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Saturday, September 5, 2026 (14 Shahrivar 1405), a senior Iranian security and political official told the Al-Mayadeen network that Iran warns South Korea not to give in to US pressure to take part in what he called "illegal US military operations." He said Tehran would treat any South Korean participation against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz as direct military involvement in aggression against Iran. The warning came a day after South Korea's presidential office denied media reports that it had decided to send troops or take part in securing the Strait of Hormuz, saying no such decision had been made. Ecoiran also carried a similar report the same Friday, citing the same Iranian official's remarks to Al-Mayadeen.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Mehr News Agency and Al Mayadeen
Nearly $6 Billion in US Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iraq Approved
The US State Department confirmed on Friday, September 4, 2026 (13 Shahrivar 1405), according to Khabaronline citing Reuters and IRNA, a possible sale of extended range offensive munitions worth about 5 billion dollars to Saudi Arabia, with Boeing as the prime contractor. The department also confirmed a possible sale of AGT-1500 engines used in Abrams tanks to Saudi Arabia worth about 750 million dollars, with Honeywell as the prime contractor. Per the same report, a sustainment and support contract for Oman's F-16 fleet worth 188 million dollars and a sale of Bell 412 helicopters to Iraq worth 150 million dollars were also approved. The State Department said the sales support US foreign policy and national security objectives and would not alter the region's military balance. Ecoiran separately confirmed the 5 billion dollar Saudi package the same Friday.
Khabaronline, citing Reuters and IRNA
Trump: We May Soon Target Iran's Kolang Gazaleh Mountain Facility
US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday, September 4, 2026 (13 Shahrivar 1405), according to Khabaronline citing IRNA, that the United States may soon target a nuclear facility in Iran he called the "Kolang Gazaleh" mountain, adding that US forces had disabled radar in the area for a second time. He described the roughly six month old conflict with Iran, which he had earlier said would end within four to seven weeks, as a "military engagement" rather than a war. Trump also claimed the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz, that many ships have passed through it and that no naval mines remain there, even though Iran has held control of the strait since the war began. He said pipelines and alternative routes, including through Syria, are being built to reduce reliance on the strait, and said he had earlier told China's president not to get involved in the conflict with Iran.
Khabaronline, citing IRNA
Household Appliance Inflation Hits 117.8 Percent Year on Year in Mordad, Far Outpacing the National Average
According to Khabaronline, citing Mehr News Agency, on Friday, 13 Shahrivar 1405 (September 4, 2026), a review of the latest inflation data for the month of Mordad 1405 (roughly late July to late August 2026) shows that while the national monthly inflation rate stood at 3.4 percent, the year on year (point to point) rate at 89 percent, and the annual rate at 69.9 percent, the household appliances category clearly outpaced the national average on all three measures, with monthly inflation of 4.7 percent, year on year inflation of 117.8 percent, and annual inflation of 79.3 percent. Per the report, the 117.8 percent year on year figure means the cost of buying a comparable basket of appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, stoves and televisions has, on average, more than doubled in Mordad 1405 compared with Mordad 1404, a rate 28.8 percentage points above the national year on year figure. The continued monthly increase of nearly 5 percent also shows price pressure in this market persists and is not solely the result of past spikes.
Khabaronline, citing Mehr News Agency
US and European Troika Push New IAEA Board Resolution to Refer Iran's Nuclear File Back to UN Security Council
According to Khabaronline, citing Reuters and Fars, on Friday, 13 Shahrivar 1405 (September 4, 2026), diplomats said the United States, together with the European troika of Britain, France and Germany, is seeking to have the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors adopt a resolution at next week's meeting reporting what it calls Iran's "noncompliance with nonproliferation obligations" to the UN Security Council. Per the report, the move would follow a resolution adopted by the board on 12 June 2025 (22 Khordad 1404), one day before Israel began bombing Iran's nuclear facilities, an operation the United States later joined; that earlier resolution also cited claims of insufficient Iranian cooperation with the agency. Adoption of the new resolution could pave the way for further sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Iran.
Khabaronline, citing Reuters and Fars
Prices of Some Common Medicines Rise Two to Four Times in a Year; Amoxicillin Up From 320,000 to 1,230,000 Tomans
According to Mehr News Agency, carried by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Friday, 13 Shahrivar 1405 (September 4, 2026), a review of drug prices between Shahrivar 1404 and Shahrivar 1405 (roughly September 2025 to September 2026) shows some widely used medicines have risen at least two to four times over, including amoxicillin, up from 320,000 to 1,230,000 tomans, gabapentin 300, up from 300,000 to 960,000 tomans, clarithromycin, up from 450,000 to 1,580,000 tomans, and acetaminophen codeine, up from 137,000 to 650,000 tomans. Hosseinali Haji Deligani, deputy chair of parliament's Article 90 Commission, pointed to a critical situation in supplying some medicines, saying insurers have failed to close the resulting price gap for patients, pushing patients' out of pocket share of drug costs to nearly 80 percent. He said delays in updating Food and Drug Administration approved prices within insurers' systems force patients to pay additional costs in the meantime.
Mehr News Agency, citing Mehr News Agency, via Donya-e-Eqtesad
Food Coupon Charge Schedule Changed, Payment Interval Extended From Five to Ten Days
According to Bourse News and Donya-e-Eqtesad, the charging schedule for Iran's food coupon program (kalabarg) has changed and will now run on the 5th, 15th and 25th of each Iranian month, extending the interval between charging rounds from five days to ten. Cash subsidy payments remain on the same five day window, from the 20th to the 30th of each month, with deciles one through three paid on the 25th and deciles four through nine on the 30th. Donya-e-Eqtesad reported two main reasons for the longer interval: first, it gives the government more room to arrange and manage credit resources for each round; second, and more importantly, it eases demand pressure on goods covered by the coupon, since each round of charging for a household group triggers a surge in purchases. Since the kalabarg program launched in Dey 1403 (December 2024-January 2025), the range of covered goods has expanded to include items such as fruit, vegetables and diapers, adding to supply logistics pressure and making the longer interval more necessary.
Bourse News
US Expands Economic Outcast Campaign, Rubio Demands Immediate Global Cutoff of Trade With Iran
According to Khabaronline and Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Axios, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered all US embassies worldwide earlier this week to deliver a formal diplomatic cable on the so called "Operation Economic Outcast" to host governments at the highest possible level. Under the order, embassies were directed to ask host governments to immediately and systematically cut trade with Iran and identify Iran's illicit trade activity, warning that countries, companies and individuals that keep trading with Iran risk sanctions and losing access to the US dollar system. A special message was also sent to US missions in Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Hong Kong, Doha, London, Berlin and several Central Asian capitals, asking them to press for the closure of Bank Melli and Bank Saderat branches said to be linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Separately, Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter, that White House envoy Steve Witkoff met Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's national security adviser, in Sardinia last weekend to discuss next steps on Iran. Days before the US Treasury's sanctions were formally announced, the UAE said it was halting all trade and financial transactions with Iran, a significant move given that two way trade between the countries reached 28 billion dollars in 2024. The US Treasury simultaneously moved to cut the UAE branches of Egypt's Banque Misr off from the US financial system, and the UAE central bank has placed the bank's transactions with Iran under urgent review.
Khabaronline, citing Axios
India's Trade Minister Says Gulf and Israel Trade Deals Will Be Finalized Once Region Stabilizes
According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, India's Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 (11 Shahrivar 1405), at the annual meeting of India's auto parts manufacturers association, that New Delhi will finalize free trade agreements with Israel and Gulf Cooperation Council members, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, as soon as stability returns to the region, as part of its effort to diversify export markets. Citing Bloomberg, Donya-e-Eqtesad reported that India and Israel had agreed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's February 2026 visit to Jerusalem to soon complete bilateral trade talks, an agreement reached shortly before the US and Israeli war on Iran began. India, which imports nearly 90 percent of the crude oil it consumes, is highly exposed to the economic fallout of the conflict. Goyal also cited India's trade deal with the United Kingdom, in effect since July, and ongoing talks with the European Union and the United States.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Bloomberg
US Manufacturing PMI Slips to 54.6% in August
According to Ecoiran, the Institute for Supply Management's US Manufacturing PMI fell one percentage point from the prior month to 54.6 percent in August 2026, marking an eighth straight month of manufacturing expansion and a 22nd consecutive month of overall economic growth. The S&P Global manufacturing PMI held steady at 53.9 percent. In the ISM survey, 42 percent of comments were positive and 58 percent negative; among negative comments, price volatility accounted for 57 percent, longer delivery times 46 percent, the Iran war 30 percent and tariffs 29 percent. The New Orders index fell 3 points to 53.7 percent and the Employment index fell 1.6 points to 51.2 percent, while the Prices index held at a high 71.1 percent.
Ecoiran, citing ISM Institute
Top Administrative Court Bans Forced Blocking of Bank Loan Funds
According to Bourse News, Iran's central bank said on Thursday, September 3, 2026 (12 Shahrivar 1405), that under a ruling by the General Assembly of the Administrative Court of Justice dated 5 Khordad 1405, banks and non bank credit institutions are banned from blocking part of the funds they lend, and from forcing a borrower to open a cash account and pledge it before a loan is disbursed. Under the ruling, a borrower may still voluntarily pledge a term deposit as collateral, under a 2001 law that exempts borrowers from having to pledge real estate, as long as the bank pays the deposit's full applicable interest rate; paying a lower rate is treated as a violation subject to central bank supervisory action. As a result, clause two of central bank circular No. 375517, dated 23 Esfand 1400, was struck down and revised.
Bourse News
Wall Street Journal: US Extends West Asia Military Deployment for Scenario of Tension With Iran Through 2027
According to Khabaronline, citing the Jerusalem Post and the Wall Street Journal, the US military has extended its troop deployment across West Asia, a move the report says shows the Trump administration is preparing for the possibility that tension with Iran continues through 2027. The report says the US currently has about 50,000 troops in the region, alongside 19 warships, including two aircraft carriers and 13 guided missile destroyers, along with fighter squadrons and air defense units. US President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post about the current situation: "I much prefer our current position, with near total control of the Strait of Hormuz and an economy that is totally collapsing." Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump has been discussing privately with senior aides whether to declare an end to the war with Iran. Tom Karako, missile defense project director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned that sustaining this pace of operations could wear down military personnel and delay equipment maintenance.
Khabaronline, citing The Wall Street Journal
Trump and UAE President Discuss West Asia Developments in Phone Call
According to the UAE's official news agency (WAM), as reported by Donya-e-Eqtesad, US President Donald Trump and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, as well as developments in West Asia and ongoing efforts to address them, in a phone call on Thursday, September 3, 2026 (12 Shahrivar 1405). The call followed a report by Axios that White House envoy Steve Witkoff met this week on the Italian island of Sardinia with UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss next steps on Iran, a meeting held days after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a sanctions push against Iran known as "Operation Economic Outcast."
WAM and Donya-e-Eqtesad
Health Ministry: US Attacks Killed 18 and Wounded 142 From August 30 to September 2
Hossein Kermanpour, head of the public relations and information center at Iran's Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education, said in a post on X that from 8:30pm on 8 Shahrivar to 8:30pm on 11 Shahrivar 1405 (August 30 to September 2, 2026), US attacks left 142 people wounded and 18 dead. According to ILNA, he added that of the wounded, 61 were women and 44 were under 18, while the dead included two women and one child. Khabaronline also reported the Health Ministry's tally on Thursday morning.
ILNA
Government Raises 34 Trillion Tomans at 12th Islamic Bond Auction
According to Ecoiran, the government's 12th Islamic bond auction, held this week, raised about 34 trillion tomans, more than 10 times the average financing raised under the previous sale method, the report said. Analysts cited in the report say the yield on these bonds reached 41.9 percent at this auction. Since the ninth auction, the government has run a primary and secondary market structure for its debt sales, with primary dealers including Bank Mellat, Tejarat Bank, Omid Investment Bank, Lotus Parsian Investment Bank and Afra Investment Fund; the three most recent auctions under this structure have sold at higher rates than before.
Ecoiran
Century Old Hejaz Railway Could Return as Turkey and Saudi Arabia Weigh a Land Route Around Risky Waterways
According to Eco Iran, citing Tabnak and the analysis outlet Arabian Business, Turkey, Syria and Saudi Arabia are examining the revival of the historic Hejaz Railway, which linked Damascus to Medina between 1900 and 1908, while the United Arab Emirates and Oman have entered talks about possibly joining the planned Persian Gulf Cooperation Council rail network. Turkey and Saudi Arabia signed a rail cooperation memorandum this summer, and Turkey's Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, has estimated that rebuilding the rail link between Turkey and Aleppo would cost about $100 million, with a full Turkey to Saudi Arabia line via Syria and Jordan potentially completed within three to four years. Dr Liju John, an assistant professor of logistics and supply chain management at Heriot Watt University Dubai, said successive Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz crises have shown regional states that the cost of being unable to move goods exceeds the cost of an expensive alternative route. The plan under discussion involves reviving existing infrastructure in Medina, Tabuk and AlUla and, if completed, would provide a new overland route paralleling the region's high risk waterways to connect Turkey with Saudi Arabian and Persian Gulf markets.
Eco Iran
Rosatom Chief: Bushehr Nuclear Plant Situation Calm, After Putin-Pezeshkian Talks
Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held detailed talks on the status of Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (10 Shahrivar 1405). Per RT, cited by Mehr and Donya-e-Eqtesad, Likhachev said the situation at Bushehr is calm and that the nuclear fuel needed to replace part of Unit 1's fuel assemblies, ahead of planned maintenance in mid-September, has been delivered. Rosatom experts have said they are ready to take part in the maintenance work.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Mehr News Agency and RashaTudy
Russia, China Signal Possible Veto on Renewing UN Panel Monitoring Iran Sanctions
Per Reuters (Tuesday, September 1, 2026, cited by Ecoiran via Khabaronline), the UN Security Council is set to vote on September 17 (26 Shahrivar) on renewing the mandate of the panel of experts monitoring Iran sanctions, which expires September 26 (4 Mehr), even though Russia and China said in a joint statement in March that the Council no longer has authority to continue the panel's work. Jerome Bonnafont, France's UN ambassador, whose country holds the Council's rotating presidency this month, said Iran's nuclear file is central to the Council's discussions in September. Reuters reported diplomats have raised the possibility that Moscow and Beijing could veto the resolution; Russia previously vetoed the renewal of the panel monitoring North Korea sanctions in 2024 (1403).
EcoIran, citing Reuters and Khabar Online
IAEA Board of Governors' Quarterly Meeting, with Iran on Agenda, Opens Monday in Vienna
The IAEA secretariat said its Board of Governors' quarterly meeting, with representatives of 35 member states, will open at 10 a.m. local time on Monday, September 7, 2026 (16 Shahrivar 1405) in Vienna and run through Friday. Per IRNA, cited by Donya-e-Eqtesad, "implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and related provisions of Security Council resolutions" on Iran is among the meeting's agenda items. Director General Rafael Grossi will open the session and hold a press conference at midday Monday. Iran maintains that Security Council Resolution 2231 expired on its scheduled date last October (26 Mehr 1404) and that efforts to revive earlier resolutions against it lack legal basis.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing IRNA
Securities Regulator: Number of Supervised Financial Institutions Up 16% in Two Years
According to a research report by Iran's Securities and Exchange Organization (SEO), published by Boursenews, the number of financial institutions under the regulator's supervision rose 16 percent over two years of the 14th government's term, from 1,123 to 1,304. The report also found investment funds grew 20 percent (471 to 567) and listed issuers grew 7 percent (778 to 831). Total investment fund assets roughly 3.4x'd, rising from 997,000 billion rials to 3,396,000 billion rials; commodity funds (gold and silver) posted the largest gain, up 1,353 percent.
Boursenews, citing Securities and Exchange Organization
Pezeshkian: Iran Will Immediately Reciprocate if US Honors Its Commitments
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek (Tuesday, September 1, 2026) that Iran would "immediately" reciprocate if the United States returns to its commitments under a June 2026 memorandum of understanding, brokered by Islamabad and Qatar, which had lapsed after weeks of violations. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson and the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Qatar also called for de-escalation and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on the sidelines of the same summit. The remarks were reported by Al Jazeera, citing Iran's official news agency IRNA.
Al Jazeera
Pezeshkian: Shanghai Cooperation Organization Members Declare Aggression Against Iran Unacceptable
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the close of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, that the summit's final statement saw all member states, without exception, declare aggression against Iran unacceptable and condemn the aggressor, while stressing respect for territorial integrity and expressing sympathy for the Iranian people. He said he held direct talks on the sidelines with the presidents of six countries, including Russia, India, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, calling discussions on both condemning the attack and economic cooperation "very constructive." He then departed for Tehran.
IRNA
Kermanshah's Three Arbaeen Border Crossings Had No Blackouts This Year After a 3,190 Billion Toman Power Investment
At a ceremony inaugurating Kermanshah power-sector projects on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (10 Shahrivar 1405), attended by the Energy Minister, the provincial governor and members of parliament, Jafar Alfatinia, CEO of the West Regional Electricity Company, announced 2,810 billion tomans in newly commissioned regional power projects plus 380 billion tomans in distribution works. Upgrades at the Qasr-e Shirin substation, which doubled capacity from two 15 MVA to two 30 MVA transformers, along with other projects, meant the Khosravi, Mehran and Shalamcheh border crossings ran through this year's Arbaeen pilgrimage without a single minute of blackout, with no demand management needed for cooling load. He also announced a new 3 megawatt solar plant, completing the province's third renewable-energy project under Iran's SATBA program, and noted that while parts of the grid were damaged in the twelve-day war and recent clashes, some 200 kilovolt lines were restored within three hours.
Khabar Online
Technowe Unveils Risk Based Credit Scoring Model 'Taraz' at Elecomp 1405
Fintech company Technowe unveiled a new credit scoring model called Taraz ("Balance") at the Elecomp 1405 technology exhibition, according to Ecoiran, reported Tuesday, 10 Shahrivar 1405 (September 1, 2026). Unlike conventional models that assign each user a single fixed credit score, Taraz uses statistical and machine learning methods to estimate the probability of default for each individual credit request, based on the specific amount and credit limit sought. Per the report, a lack of credit history does not by itself lead to automatic rejection under the model; such users instead go through a supplementary evaluation process. The collateral required from each user is set according to their individual risk profile and is held in the user's digital wallet until the loan is repaid in full. Technowe said the model's output is only a default probability estimate and must be combined with the company's own credit policy to reach a final lending decision.
Ecoiran
Bessent, Responding to Druckenmiller's Criticism of Bond Market Intervention: Treasury's Better Performance Is a Result of These Actions
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a Monday, 9 Shahrivar 1405 (August 31, 2026) CNBC interview reported by Donya-e-Eqtesad, responded to criticism from Stanley Druckenmiller, a veteran investor and his own former mentor, over the Treasury's intervention in the bond market through an expanded buyback program, saying he had discussed the matter with Druckenmiller and that Treasury bonds' improved performance is precisely a result of those interventionist actions. Druckenmiller had earlier written in the Wall Street Journal urging policymakers to let the bond market do its job. Bessent said the 10 year Treasury yield has stayed roughly flat since Donald Trump took office, rising only about two basis points in August, compared with more than 10 basis points for German bunds and 15 for Japanese bonds over the same period. Even so, the US 10 year yield topped 4.75 percent on Monday, its highest since January 2025, a move he attributed mainly to rising oil prices and speculation over a Federal Reserve rate increase. On the sidelines of the G20 finance ministers meeting in North Carolina, Bessent also denied claims of a rift with Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing CNBC
Energy Minister: Without War Damage to Power Plants, the Grid Shortfall Would Have Eased Sooner; Capacity Reaches 102,000 Megawatts
Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said on Tuesday, 10 Shahrivar 1405 (September 1, 2026), according to Ecoiran, that the country's power generation capacity has reached about 102,000 megawatts and that the electricity shortfall cannot be solved by building plants alone, since how power is consumed also plays a decisive role. He said there was no significant supply problem until 20 Tir (mid July), but damage to some power plants during the recent war made managing generation capacity harder, and without that damage the country would have reached a supply demand balance sooner. According to a parliament research center report on summer 1405 cited by Ecoiran, the grid shortfall at this summer's peak demand reaches about 13,600 megawatts, with simultaneous network supply capacity at about 68,400 megawatts against demand exceeding 81,000 megawatts. Aliabadi had also pledged on Monday, 9 Shahrivar, that if public cooperation continues, the household and industrial power shortfall would ease from next week. Mahmoud Hakimi, a member of the Iran Electricity Industry Syndicate's power market and energy exchange committee, told Ecoiran by contrast that the root of the crisis cannot be attributed solely to consumer behavior, and that centrally dictated power pricing has reduced the incentive to invest in power generation.
Ecoiran
Tehran Stock Exchange Sells 52 Percent of Government Bonds on Offer
According to Boursenews, the latest government bond auction on the Tehran Stock Exchange on Monday, 9 Shahrivar 1405 (August 31, 2026), sold only 52 percent of the 65.9 trillion tomans in bonds on offer. The relatively low sell through rate signals softer market appetite for government debt amid currently high interest rates in the money market. Selling bonds through the exchange is one of the government's main tools for financing its budget deficit without expanding the monetary base, and the sell through rate at each auction can directly affect bond yields and their competitiveness against other assets such as equities and gold.
Boursenews
Civil Aviation Organization Denies Rumors of Mehrabad Airport Flight Cancellations
A spokesperson for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization denied on Monday, 9 Shahrivar 1405 (August 31, 2026), recent reports claiming that flights at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport had been cancelled and the airport closed. According to Ecoiran, the spokesperson said there is currently no problem at Mehrabad and flights are operating as scheduled. The rumor circulated at a time when escalating US Iran military tensions have raised concern about the status of the country's airspace and airports. The official denial aims to ease concern among travelers and businesses that rely on air transport.
Ecoiran
Bank Liquidity Squeeze Deepens as Interbank Rate Hits 24 Percent Ceiling at End of Mordad
According to Boursenews, the latest money market data show Iran's interbank lending rate rose to exactly 24.00 percent in the week ending 4 Shahrivar 1405 (August 26, 2026), matching the ceiling of the central bank's interest rate corridor, the standing lending facility rate. The rise followed several weeks of tight fluctuation in the 23.90 percent range. The interbank rate returning to the top of its corridor is a clear sign of intensifying liquidity pressure across Iran's banking network, typically reflecting stronger demand from banks to borrow short term from one another to cover statutory reserve shortfalls. The interbank rate is one of the central bank's key monetary policy gauges, and its trajectory can affect inflation, bond yields and capital market direction in the months ahead.
Boursenews
UAE Intercepts Iranian Drone as Gargash Calls for De-escalation and Reopening of Hormuz
The UAE's Ministry of Defence said on Monday, 9 Shahrivar 1405 (August 31, 2026), that its air force intercepted a drone approaching its territorial waters from Iran. In a post on X, the ministry called reports of an attack on its Al Menhad airbase false and urged the public to rely only on official sources. The statement followed Iran's army saying on Sunday that it had fired dozens of drones at US military assets at Al Menhad, describing the move as retaliation for the US strike on Larak Island. According to Al Jazeera, Anwar Gargash, the UAE presidential adviser, condemned the renewed escalation, saying political solutions must begin with de escalation and restoring normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump had ordered a halt to new strikes on Iran on August 1, but US and Iranian forces resumed exchanging fire on Sunday night. The UAE is Iran's most important trade and exchange corridor, and rising geopolitical risk along this route could affect Tehran's free market dirham and dollar rates and safe haven demand for gold.
Al Jazeera
On Sidelines of Shanghai Summit, Pezeshkian Welcomes 'Mecca Agreement,' Says Iran Ready to Implement It
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, 9 Shahrivar 1405 (August 31, 2026). According to Ecoiran, citing the Entekhab news agency, Pezeshkian welcomed the trilateral defense pact known as the "Mecca Agreement," signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan on 16 Mordad (August 7), and stressed Iran's readiness to implement the agreement provided the other side honors its own commitments. Thanking Pakistan for its constructive role in the talks that led to the pact, Pezeshkian said lasting peace and security in the region can only be achieved through cooperation among regional states without foreign interference, describing the joint move by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye as a step toward strengthening unity among Muslim nations. Sharif, for his part, said the Mecca Agreement is defensive in nature and not directed against any country, and welcomed the increased pace of diplomatic exchanges between Tehran and Islamabad in recent months. The meeting came as US Iran military tension flared again around the Strait of Hormuz, following an exchange of strikes on Larak Island, Jordan and the UAE in recent days. Pezeshkian's welcome for a regional pact and his emphasis on readiness for diplomacy, set against the simultaneous military developments, matters for Iran's currency and gold markets, which are sensitive to signs of rising or easing regional tension.
Ecoiran, citing Entekhab
Iran Targets US Base in UAE With Drones as Abu Dhabi Denies Base Was Hit
Iran's army said in a statement carried by Iranian news agencies and reported by Al Jazeera on Monday, 9 Shahrivar 1405 (August 31, 2026), that it launched dozens of drones at US military assets at the Al Menhad base in the United Arab Emirates, describing it as retaliation for Iranian personnel and civilians killed and wounded in the US strike on Larak Island a day earlier. The UAE's Ministry of Defence responded that its air force had reacted to a drone approaching its territorial waters from Iran, but rejected Iran's claim that the base itself had been targeted. The UAE Foreign Ministry, in a post on X, "strongly condemned" what it called "the Iranian aggression." The UAE strike was separate from the IRGC's earlier missile barrage on the US operated King Hussein and Al Azraq bases in Jordan hours before. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in his first comments, said Iran is not seeking war but will not stay silent in the face of any aggression. The UAE is Iran's most important trade, transit and exchange corridor, with a large share of Iran's currency transfers and re-exported goods moving through its dirham market; extending the conflict onto Emirati territory risks lifting the geopolitical premium priced into Tehran's free market dollar and dirham rates, and into safe haven demand for gold.
Al Jazeera
Central Bank Orders at Least 20 Percent Growth in Loan to Deposit Ratio for Underserved Provinces
Iran's Central Bank, in circular No. 05/133936 dated 4 Shahrivar 1405 (August 26, 2026), reported by Tasnim News Agency and carried by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Monday, 9 Shahrivar 1405 (August 31, 2026), required banks and credit institutions to pursue balanced regional and provincial financing. Under the circular, resource allocation in each province must match the deposits mobilized in that same province, following an earlier circular, No. 99/21669 dated 3 Ordibehesht 1399, which had already mandated that at least 50 percent of each province's deposit resources be allocated back to that province. Citing clause (1) of paragraph (b) of Article 10 of Iran's Seventh Five Year Development Plan law, the Central Bank also required banks to raise the loan to deposit ratio in deprived and underserved provinces by at least 20 percentage points relative to the start of the plan over its implementation years, while reviewing local branches' lending authority and accounting for the current rise in the general price level.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Tasnim
Government's 4.4 Billion Dollar Debt to Basic Goods Importers Is Straining Iran's Supply Chain
The Iranian government's debt to importers of basic goods has reached about 4.4 billion dollars, Ecoiran reported on Sunday, 8 Shahrivar 1405 (August 30, 2026), down from an initial figure of more than 5 billion dollars after partial settlements. A significant share of the debt relates to imports of livestock feed, and importers now wait 17 to 18 months for foreign currency allocation, saddling them with annual financing costs of 12 to 14 percent. According to the report, government officials say confirmed claims will be paid after an audit, but before the final figure is accepted as a definite government debt, officials must clarify how the goods were imported, distributed and supplied, and the legal basis of the government's obligation. Experts, including Mohsen Barzouzadeh, a former deputy at Iran's Court of Audit, have proposed tools such as factoring, profit sukuk issuance, currency swaps and oil backed transfers to settle the debt without expanding the monetary base.
Ecoiran
Economist Fayyazi: Point to Point Inflation Could Reach 110 to 120 Percent by End of Iranian Year
Macroeconomic analyst Mohammad Taghi Fayyazi told Khabaronline, in remarks published Sunday, 8 Shahrivar 1405 (August 30, 2026), that after tracing monthly inflation from 4.2 percent in Azar 1404 to 3.4 percent in Mordad 1405, if current conditions persist, even in the best case monthly inflation could stay in the 7 to 8 percent range and point to point inflation could reach 110 to 120 percent by the end of Esfand 1405 (March 2027), an estimate he called optimistic. He said point to point inflation, which stood at 83.9 percent in Ordibehesht 1405, has now reached about 89 percent, consistent with the Statistical Center of Iran's official figure for Mordad. Fayyazi said that in a more optimistic scenario, if the war ends and monthly inflation holds around 3 percent, point to point inflation by Esfand could be about 60 percent and annual inflation about 80 percent. He identified the government's budget deficit as the main driver of persistent inflation and warned that triple digit inflation in food prices and rural areas is fueling a broader expansion of poverty.
Khabaronline
Iraq's Banking Sector Reaches a Turning Point in Its Reform Drive
Mudher Mohammed Saleh, economic adviser to Iraq's prime minister, told Shafaq News in a report published Saturday, 7 Shahrivar 1405 (August 29, 2026), that Iraq's banking sector has reached a critical crossroads after years of weak management, oversight failures and declining public confidence, and that reform can no longer be delayed, particularly in an economy that depends heavily on oil for foreign currency. He called for stronger governance, tighter supervision, adherence to anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing standards, and bank capital increases matched to risk levels. Per the report, the Central Bank of Iraq's reform program, developed with global consultancy Oliver Wyman, offers banks paths including staying in business, merging, or exiting the market; seven Iraqi banks have already entered the program's first phase and been allowed to resume transactions in non-dollar foreign currencies. Economic expert Ahmed Al-Janabi said in the same report that currency issued by the Central Bank of Iraq totals about 103 trillion dinars, of which roughly 20 trillion dinars remains outside the banking system, much of it kept in homes.
Shafaq News
Starlink Satellite Internet Goes Live for Home Users in the UAE
According to Ecoiran, citing Gulf News, published Sunday, 8 Shahrivar 1405 (August 30, 2026), SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service has gone live in the United Arab Emirates, and home users in the country can now access the service. Starlink's own website now lists the UAE among its covered regions. Starlink's entry into the UAE market began in 2024, when the country's communications regulator and digital government authority issued it a license, initially focused on maritime services and later expanded to aviation; Emirates airline began installing Starlink internet on its fleet last year. Kuwait joined the list of countries with Starlink coverage earlier in 2026. Starlink now operates the world's largest communications satellite constellation, with more than 11,000 active satellites in low Earth orbit.
Ecoiran, citing Gulf News
More Than 112 Trillion Tomans in VAT Levies Distributed to Municipalities Over Four Months
Seyyed Mohammad Hadi Sobhanian, head of Iran's National Tax Administration, said in remarks published by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Sunday, 8 Shahrivar 1405 (August 30, 2026), that more than 112,000 billion tomans in value-added tax levies were distributed to municipalities, rural district administrations, and nomadic affairs offices nationwide in the first four months of the Iranian year 1405. The figure represents part of municipalities' and rural districts' share of the country's VAT revenue, which the tax administration calculates and transfers to local authorities monthly. Sobhanian released the figure alongside his separate announcement that the country collected nearly 800,000 billion tomans in total tax revenue in the first five months of the year.
Donya-e-Eqtesad
Tax Authority Reports 800 Trillion Tomans Collected in First Five Months of 1405
Seyyed Mohammad Hadi Sobhanian, head of Iran's National Tax Administration, said to mark Government Week that 799,700 billion tomans in tax revenue was collected in the first five months of the Iranian year 1405, up 56.2 percent from the same period in 1404. According to Donya-e-Eqtesad's online desk, published Sunday, 8 Shahrivar 1405 (August 30, 2026), the increase came even as deadlines for corporate and individual tax filings were extended through the end of Shahrivar (late September). Sobhanian said the administration has tried to work with businesses by extending statutory deadlines, giving provincial managers more authority, and speeding up tax refunds, adding that the higher revenue did not come from added pressure on taxpayers. He said recent investments in digitalization and data-driven systems have made tax collection possible without relying on costly traditional methods.
Donya-e-Eqtesad
Iran's Point to Point Inflation Hits 89 Percent in Mordad, a Fresh Record in Statistical Center Data
Iran's Statistical Center reported in its Mordad 1405 consumer price index release (the month ended 31 Mordad, or August 22, 2026) that monthly, point to point and annual inflation all rose from Tir, the previous month. Monthly inflation climbed from 3.1 percent in Tir to 3.4 percent in Mordad. Point to point inflation (against Mordad of last year) rose 1.1 percentage points to 89 percent, and annual inflation (the 12 month average through Mordad) rose from 66 to 69.9 percent. The central bank's own separate urban data showed monthly inflation rising from 3.6 to 3.7 percent, point to point inflation from 83.9 to 84.4 percent, and annual inflation from 61.4 to 65.1 percent. According to Ecoiran, this Mordad's point to point and annual inflation figures are the highest recorded in the Statistical Center's series dating back to 1392 (2013). Among components, the communications group posted the highest monthly non food inflation at 6.7 percent, while vegetables led food inflation at 9.3 percent; education recorded the lowest monthly inflation at 1.4 percent. Mazandaran province posted the highest provincial monthly inflation rate for Mordad.
EcoIran, citing Statistical Centre of Iran and Central Bank of Iran
Revised 1404 Tax Revenue Reaches 1,704.5 Trillion Tomans, 93.6 Percent of Budget Target
According to Boursenews, published Saturday, 7 Shahrivar 1405 (August 29, 2026), Iran's Tax Affairs Organization, in a revised report on 1404 fiscal year performance (ending 29 Esfand 1404, March 20, 2026), put total collections from direct taxes and taxes on goods and services at 1,704,456 billion tomans (1,704.5 trillion tomans), up from an earlier preliminary figure of about 1,700 trillion tomans. Against the 1,820 trillion toman target set in the 1404 budget law, that is a 93.6 percent realization of budgeted tax revenue. Per the revised breakdown, 1,114.7 trillion tomans came from direct taxes and 589.8 trillion tomans from taxes on goods and services. Within direct taxes, corporate income tax was the largest component at about 797.3 trillion tomans, followed by personal income tax at 272.4 trillion tomans. Within goods and services taxes, value added tax was the largest component at about 300.3 trillion tomans.
Boursenews, citing Iran's Tax Affairs Organization
Iran's Foreign Ministry: All States Are Obligated to Refrain From Enforcing US Unilateral Sanctions
Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday, 6 Shahrivar 1405 (August 28, 2026), that the latest round of US sanctions, named Operation Economic Outcast and unveiled by the US government on Monday, 2 Shahrivar, amounts to state economic terrorism and violates the United Nations Charter. According to ISNA, carried by Donya-e-Eqtesad, the ministry said Washington's use of the dollar's leverage to pressure other countries into following its policies violates the national sovereignty and right to self determination of UN member states. The statement said that under principles of international law, including UN General Assembly resolutions on non interference in states' internal affairs, all governments are obligated to refrain from enforcing such sanctions and from recognizing situations arising from them. The Foreign Ministry also stressed the Iranian nation's resolve to use every available capacity to defend the country against what it described as a combined US, Israeli military, economic and hybrid assault.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing ISNA
Khorasan Razavi's Renewable Power Capacity Tripled in the Iranian Year 1404
Alireza Khodabandeh, CEO of Khorasan Razavi's power distribution company, said at a meeting of the province's renewable power development task force on the morning of Saturday, 7 Shahrivar 1405 (August 29, 2026), that the province's renewable power capacity grew 300 percent compared with the start of the Iranian year 1404 (which began in March 2025). According to Khabaronline, he said the province aims, under its 1406 (2027/28) horizon target, to build a total of 3,000 megawatts of renewable capacity across five sectors, industrial, administrative, agricultural, residential and investment, and that its targets for 1404 have been met. Khodabandeh said Khorasan Razavi leads the country in the agricultural sector with 65 megawatts of solar capacity, while the next ranked province has only about 4 megawatts in that category. He said the province needs to add another 600 megawatts of renewable capacity in 1405 (2026/27) to stay on track for the 3,000 megawatt target by 1406.
Khabar Online
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: Dialogue Is the Only Practical Way Forward on Iran
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters on Saturday, 7 Shahrivar 1405 (August 29, 2026), that on Iran, dialogue and negotiation are the only practical way forward. According to ISNA, citing Anadolu Agency and carried by Khabaronline, he added that Beijing opposes illegal and unilateral sanctions and that China's position is fixed and clear. The remarks came after US President Donald Trump threatened to sanction Chinese banks over their ties with Iran. Asked whether Washington intended to do so, Trump said he did not have to announce all of his decisions in advance. Washington's campaign for new economic sanctions on Tehran and to restrict its access to the global financial system has been under way since February 28.
Khabar Online, citing ISNA and Anadolu Agency
UAE Extends Starlink's License for 10 Years
The United Arab Emirates has extended Elon Musk's Starlink a 10 year license to provide public satellite communications services in the country. Under the license, Starlink is authorized to launch, manage and operate its public satellite internet network in the UAE. UAE media outlets confirmed the move and described it as a step toward faster internet speeds and a potential alternative to the country's telecom duopoly.
EcoIran
US Treasury Moves to Cut Banque Misr's UAE Branch From the Dollar System
The US Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) proposed a rule on August 28, 2026 to revoke Banque Misr's UAE branch access to US correspondent banking. FinCEN alleges the branch facilitated roughly 1.8 billion dollars in transactions tied to Iranian shadow banking networks, involving 103 companies between January 2024 and June 2026. The move is part of "Operation Economic Outcast," the sanctions campaign Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent launched on August 24, 2026. The same day, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control also sanctioned Reza Mohammad Taeedi, described as a manager at Bank Melli's Dubai branch, and a Hong Kong based entity. FinCEN's proposed rule is not yet final and remains subject to a public comment period.
Crypto Briefing
Electronic Check Issuance in Iran Grew 262 Percent
Central bank data show that 2,285,586 electronic checks were issued by Iran's banking network in the first four months of the current Iranian year (started March 2026), a 262 percent increase from 631,497 in the same period last year. The share of electronic checks in total checks issued rose from an average of 1.2 percent last year to 4.6 percent this year. Since electronic checks were introduced in Aban 1401 (October 2022) through the end of Tir 1405 (July 2026), more than 8.4 million electronic checks and 3.5 million electronic checkbooks have been issued. Under Iran's seventh five year development plan, the central bank is required to fully replace paper checks with electronic ones by the end of 1406 (March 2028).
Bourse News
Cooking Oil Prices in Iran Jumped 340 Percent Year on Year in Mordad
Official data from Iran's Statistical Center show the average price of liquid cooking oil rose about 340 percent year on year in Mordad 1405 (ended August 22, 2026), while solid cooking oil rose about 380 percent. Imported rice jumped about 201 percent over the same period and domestic Iranian rice rose about 80 percent, though Iranian rice prices eased slightly compared to the prior month of Tir. Egg prices rose 293 percent and chicken prices rose 176 percent year on year. The data show Mordad's inflationary pressure was concentrated mainly on staple household food items.
Bourse News
Iran's Point to Point Inflation for Mordad Reported Between 84.4 and 89 Percent
Iran's Statistical Center has reported Mordad 1405 (July 23 to August 22, 2026) monthly inflation at 3.4 percent and point to point inflation at 89 percent. The Central Bank of Iran, estimating the same month separately, put monthly inflation at 3.7 percent and point to point inflation at 84.4 percent. Despite the modest gap between the two official bodies' figures, both reports point to persistently high inflation and a fragile disinflation trend in Iran's economy.
Donya-e-Eqtesad
Pezeshkian: Oman Accepts Hormuz Reopening Roadmap Under Islamabad Memorandum
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on the evening of Friday, August 28, 2026 (6 Shahrivar 1405), during state broadcaster IRIB's live interview program, that Oman has accepted that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz proceed under a roadmap drawn up within the framework of the Islamabad memorandum, coordinated with the Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and Iran's negotiating team, and approved by the Supreme Leader. He said Oman initially cooperated, then raised reservations, but in a meeting two days before the interview agreed again to proceed on the coordinated route. The president said Iran, in return for this step, is seeking implementation of US commitments including lifting the blockade and sanctions, releasing Iran's frozen oil and petrochemical revenues, resuming foreign investment, and halting military actions in Lebanon, and stressed that Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz based on its own official decisions.
Khabar Online
Strait of Hormuz Placed Alongside a List of US Territories in Trump's New Post
According to Mehr News, carried by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Friday, 6 Shahrivar 1405 (August 28, 2026), US President Donald Trump posted a new image on Truth Social that places the Strait of Hormuz alongside a set of US territories and related areas, including Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, Wake Island, Washington DC, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. The post came days after Trump repeatedly claimed the Strait of Hormuz should be part of US territory. The report noted that Trump is approaching the US congressional midterm elections and has previously made similar territorial claims regarding Greenland, Canada, Venezuela and other countries.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Mehr News Agency
Araghchi Says US Pressure Will Not Work, in a Post After Meeting Qatar's Prime Minister
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, in a post on X on Friday, 6 Shahrivar 1405 (August 28, 2026) after meeting Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said he had held "constructive and innovative" talks with him in Tehran. Araghchi added that returning diplomacy to its course is not impossible, and that this depends on the United States understanding one simple fact: that pressure does not work. He said Washington must build trust, speak with respect, acknowledge Iran's rights and honor its commitments. The remarks come as the US-Israeli war on Iran approaches its six month mark, and after US President Donald Trump had earlier said he was in no hurry for Iran to return to negotiations.
EcoIran
CENTCOM Commander Claims Full Minesweeping of the Strait of Hormuz; Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Rejects the Claim
According to ISNA, carried by Ecoiran on Friday, 6 Shahrivar 1405 (August 28, 2026), CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper claimed the United States has fully cleared mines from the Strait of Hormuz. He said about 50,000 US personnel are enforcing a naval blockade against Iran and maintaining maritime traffic through the strait, and that with US assistance vessels have moved a total of about 750 million barrels of oil out of the Persian Gulf in recent months. Responding to the claims, Kazem Gharibabadi, deputy foreign minister of Iran for legal and international affairs, had earlier said on a television program, while stressing that the Iran-Oman understanding does not mean reopening the Strait of Hormuz, that no one but Iran knows the location of the mines in the strait and that such claims are nothing more than assertions.
EcoIran, citing ISNA
Central Bank of Iran Gives Marriage and Childbearing Loan Priority to Welfare Card Holders Linked to GAM Bonds
Iran's central bank announced that applicants for interest free marriage and childbearing loans who obtain a welfare card linked to GAM bonds will get priority in loan disbursement. According to a Young Journalists Club report that Ecoiran carried on Thursday, 5 Shahrivar 1405 (August 27, 2026), banks are now required to issue the welfare card as quickly as possible once an applicant requests it through the system, so applicants do not have to wait in the loan queue. Under the announcement, the general terms of the interest free loan do not change, but applicants who choose this path can use the welfare card to buy goods and household items instead of receiving cash.
EcoIran, citing YJC
IMF Chief: AI Investment Boom Is Becoming a Driver of Global Economic Growth
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the artificial intelligence investment boom, so far concentrated in the United States, is spreading to other countries and could become a driver of global economic growth. She said other countries are increasing investment in data centers and related infrastructure, while economies connected to the AI hardware supply chain are also benefiting from rising demand. Georgieva said the expansion has helped offset some of the economic pressure from the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and that the global economy has handled the resulting energy shock better than the IMF initially feared. The IMF's July 2026 forecast put global growth this year at 3 percent, versus 3.5 percent in 2025; updated forecasts are due in October. She warned, however, that declining oil and gas reserves ahead of the northern hemisphere winter leave the global economy vulnerable to another rise in energy prices.
Cryptobriefing, citing International Monetary Fund
Trump Tells Al Jazeera He Is "Not in a Hurry" for Iran to Return to Talks as War Marks Six Months
US President Donald Trump told Al Jazeera's Tanya Noury, in an interview broadcast Wednesday, August 26, 2026 (4 Shahrivar 1405), that he has no timetable for Iran's return to negotiations. Asked how much time he was giving Iran, he said: "I have no time schedule, none. I'm not in a hurry. I have no time schedule at all." He added that the United States is "winning very big" and that Iran faces heavy inflation and an economic crisis. This Friday, August 28, 2026 (6 Shahrivar 1405), marks six months since the US Israel war on Iran began with strikes on Tehran on February 28, 2026 (9 Esfand 1404). The remarks mark a shift from Trump's earlier promises that the conflict would end within "four to six weeks." A 60 day memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, signed in June 2026 to manage transit through the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief and nuclear talks, expired earlier in August. On Monday, August 24, 2026 (2 Shahrivar 1405), the US announced new sanctions on Iran and 60 entities across various countries doing business with Iran, which officials dubbed an "economic D Day." Iran's Foreign Ministry described the sanctions as a threat to international law and the UN Charter.
Al Jazeera
Inflation Gap Between Iran's Income Deciles Widens to 10.7 Points in Mordad as Point to Point Rate Hits 89 Percent
Iran's Statistical Center said the household consumer price index reached 700.1 in Mordad 1405, the month ending August 22, 2026. Monthly inflation came in at 3.4 percent, point to point inflation (compared with Mordad 1404) at 89 percent, and the annual rate, the twelve months ending in Mordad against the same period a year earlier, at 69.9 percent. The inflation gap between household expenditure deciles widened to 10.7 percentage points in Mordad, up from 9.6 points the month before. The lowest annual inflation, 67.6 percent, was recorded for the tenth, highest income, decile, and the highest, 78.3 percent, for the second, lower income, decile. Monthly inflation for food, beverages and tobacco was 3.6 percent, and for non food goods and services 3.3 percent. The figures, published separately by Iran's Statistical Center from the Central Bank's own gauge, come after the Central Bank reported urban monthly inflation of 3.7 percent for Mordad earlier this week, underscoring the continuing gap between the country's two official statistics bodies.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Statistical Centre of Iran
Central Bank Deputy: Monthly Inflation Eased to 3.7 Percent in Mordad
Vahid Majed, deputy for monetary policy at Iran's Central Bank, said in a televised program reported by Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Mehr News Agency, on Thursday, Shahrivar 5, 1405 (August 27, 2026), that monthly inflation for Mordad 1405 (the month ending August 22) came in at 3.7 percent, continuing a slowdown in the pace of inflation that began three months earlier. He said monthly inflation had peaked at 8.5 percent in Ordibehesht (April to May), a trend he attributed to the economic conditions of the 12 day imposed war in Tir 1404 (July 2025) and subsequent developments including the economic blockade. Majed added that the central bank began monetary and prudential policies to curb the pace of inflation from early Khordad 1405 (late May 2026), and stressed continuity of those policies alongside targeted financing for affected sectors.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Mehr News Agency
Central Bank Mandates Instant Payment of Guaranteed Checks From Mehr 7, 1405
Iran's Central Bank, in circular No. 130283/05 dated Shahrivar 1, 1405, issued by its Payment Systems and New Technologies deputy to the banking network, has required banks to pay guaranteed checks instantly starting Mehr 7, 1405 (September 29, 2026). According to Ecoiran, citing IRNA, published Thursday, Shahrivar 5, guaranteed checks, which function like coded checks with no bounced status, must be paid immediately from that date, and banks will no longer be allowed to condition payment on completing interbank settlement in the beneficiary's account. The central bank said the deadline was set to give the banking network sufficient time to make the necessary technical changes, and that no further extension will be granted.
Ecoiran, citing IRNA
Pezeshkian Appoints Khodadad Gharibpour to Head Iran's National Development Fund
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a decree issued Tuesday, 3 Shahrivar 1405 (August 25, 2026), appointed Khodadad Gharibpour as a member and head of the National Development Fund of Iran's board of directors for a five year term. Gharibpour succeeds Mehdi Ghazanfari, who had led the fund since Mehr 1400 (2021) and whose five year term had ended. According to Tasnim News Agency, Gharibpour previously headed the pension fund for bank employees, served as a deputy minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, led the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), and was CEO of the National Development Investment Group. He also served as governor of Boyer Ahmad county from 1376 to 1384 (1997 to 2005) and as CEO of Shazand Petrochemical in Arak from 1393 to 1395 (2014 to 2016). The National Development Fund was established in 1389 (2010) to convert part of Iran's oil, gas, gas condensate and petroleum product revenues into lasting wealth and to preserve future generations' share of those resources.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Donya-e-Eqtesad via Tasnim
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Condemns New US Sanctions on Iran, Vows to Continue Cooperation With Tehran
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Shahrivar 3, 1405 (August 25, 2026) that Beijing has repeatedly voiced firm opposition to illegal unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law or UN Security Council authorization. According to Oilprice.com, it was China's first official, on the record reaction to the sanctions package the US Treasury dubbed Operation Economic Outcast, announced Monday, Shahrivar 2 (August 24), which targets individuals, companies and vessels operating in the UAE, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Switzerland and Europe that Washington says move Iranian oil and channel its revenue to Iranian entities, though the package stopped short of sanctioning major Chinese banks. Lin said economic warfare and maximum pressure provide no solution, and that such measures only fuel tensions, create risk spillover into the global economic and financial order, and harm the legitimate rights and interests of other countries. He repeated several times that China will do everything necessary to firmly safeguard its rights and interests, and, asked whether Beijing would change its conduct toward Iran to meet US demands, said China's cooperation with Iran operates within the framework of international law and should not be disrupted.
Oilprice.com
3 Megawatt Kashmar Solar Plant to Come Online Under Lavan Oil and Gas Energy Group
According to Boursenews, published Wednesday, Shahrivar 4, 1405 (August 26, 2026), a 3 megawatt solar power plant in Kashmar county is coming online, built by the Lavan Oil and Gas Energy Development Group, a subsidiary of the Gardeshgari Financial Group. The report said the project is part of Gardeshgari Financial Group's plan to build about 3,000 megawatts of solar capacity and diversify the country's energy mix. Boursenews described the plant as an example of expanding clean power generation and strengthening private sector investment in Kashmar's electricity industry.
Boursenews
Labour Ministry: Food Ration Cards for National ID Endings 7, 8 and 9 Charge Thursday
According to Mehr News Agency, carried by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Wednesday, Shahrivar 4, 1405 (August 26, 2026), under the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare's latest schedule, income based food ration cards (کالابرگ) for households whose head's national ID ends in 7, 8 or 9 will be charged with 1 million tomans per person on Thursday, Shahrivar 5, 1405 (August 27, 2026). Under the new schedule, the interval between charging dates for each household group has widened from five days before Mordad to ten days: households with national ID endings of 0, 1 and 2, along with households covered by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, the Welfare Organization and the armed forces, are charged on the 15th of each month; ID endings 3 through 6 on the 25th; and ID endings 7 through 9 on the 5th of the following month. Each charge must be used within one month.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Mehr News Agency
Saudi Crown Prince and Macron Sign Multibillion-Dollar Deals in Paris, Call for Normal Shipping Through Hormuz
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a raft of deals spanning energy, defense, AI and tourism with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace on Monday, August 24, 2026. The largest agreement was a six billion euro (about $7 billion) investment by Qiddiya, the investment arm of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, in three theme parks near Paris, one of them manga themed, expected to create around 22,000 jobs. Two further contracts were signed with French firms: $434 million with shipping group CMA CGM to help develop Jeddah Islamic Port, and $580 million with Alstom to supply metro carriages for Riyadh's metro. In a joint statement, Macron and the Saudi crown prince called for a negotiated end to the US Iran war and a return to normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The visit marked the Saudi crown prince's third official trip to France.
Al Jazeera
Tehran Fuel Distribution Chief: Gas Station Closures Stemmed from a Sudden Demand Surge
Fereydoun Yasami, head of the Tehran region for Iran's National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company, said on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 (3 Shahrivar 1405), explaining several hours of closures at some Tehran gas stations, that a sudden surge in demand combined with road traffic that delayed shipments had run some stations out of fuel. According to Tasnim, as carried by Donya e Eqtesad, he attributed the demand jump to media rumors and the approach of the Rabi al Awwal 17 holiday. Yasami said more than 26 million liters of gasoline were distributed in Tehran in a single day, a 2026 distribution record for the capital and about 30 percent above normal levels. He said that despite constraints from war related damage to Tehran's fuel storage and distribution infrastructure, supply routes activated from other provinces have kept fuel supply stable, and the current constraints will be fully resolved within a few days.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Tasnim
Isoiko Completes Major Overhaul of Tugboat 'Oqianus 10' Using Domestic Capability
Iran's shipbuilding and offshore industries complex, Isoiko, said on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 (3 Shahrivar 1405), that it had successfully relaunched the tugboat "Oqianus 10" following a major overhaul. According to Donya e Eqtesad, the project was carried out using the complex's own technical and engineering capability. Isoiko is one of Iran's shipbuilding and offshore industry complexes, and has in recent years focused on repair and refurbishment projects for commercial and industrial vessels. Domestic capacity to overhaul vessels such as tugboats used by the country's shipping fleet and ports matters particularly amid limited access to foreign services and parts.
Donya-e-Eqtesad
US Readies a 7.5 Percent Tariff on Chinese Goods Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting
The US government is preparing to impose a 7.5 percent tariff on Chinese goods over allegations of industrial overcapacity. According to Donya e Eqtesad, citing Bloomberg and published Tuesday, August 25, 2026 (3 Shahrivar 1405), the move is expected to be finalized before Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet in Washington next month, on September 24 (2 Mehr). The new tariff would bring total tariffs imposed on China during Trump's second term to about 20 percent, a level Beijing has said is consistent with the two countries' trade truce. The report said the Trump administration launched Section 301 investigations into industrial overcapacity against more than ten major trading partners in March, and separately imposed a 12.5 percent tariff on Chinese goods in July over alleged forced labor practices. The two countries' one year trade truce is due to expire on November 10 (19 Aban). US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had earlier said delays in the overcapacity investigation's findings are unrelated to efforts to preserve the truce with Beijing.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Bloomberg
China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: Beijing-Tehran Trade Ties Comply with International Law
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 (3 Shahrivar 1405), responding to US threats to sanction countries with economic ties to Iran, that trade relations between Beijing and Tehran comply with international law. According to Donya e Eqtesad, citing IRNA and Al Arabiya, the remarks followed US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's statement last week that Washington would impose the "toughest sanctions in history" on Iran and his call for China to cooperate. The Chinese spokesperson added that Beijing is closely following related developments and will take necessary measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests. He had also warned on Monday (2 Shahrivar) that sanctions and pressure do not help resolve issues and only escalate tensions. On Monday the US Treasury sanctioned nearly 60 entities and vessels under its "Operation Economic Outcast" campaign, but stopped short of targeting the major Chinese banks that buy most of Iran's seaborne oil.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing IRNA and Al Arabiya
Pakistan's Army Chief Leaves Tehran After Meeting Qalibaf and Pezeshkian
Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi left Tehran on Monday night, Shahrivar 2, 1405 (August 24, 2026), after a one day visit, seen off by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. According to Ecoiran, citing ISNA, the Pakistani delegation had earlier met the same day with Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament, and President Masoud Pezeshkian. It was Munir's fourth visit to Iran since the Farvardin 19 ceasefire between Iran and the United States. Momeni, after seeing off the delegation, described the meetings as held in a friendly and constructive atmosphere, saying both sides emphasized strengthening bilateral ties and continued consultations. The report said the talks covered bilateral cooperation and support for regional peace, stability and security amid renewed Iran-US tensions.
Ecoiran
Central Bank Accepts Just 16.6 Percent of Banks' 419.9 Trillion Toman Open Market Demand
According to Ecoiran, published Monday, Shahrivar 2, 1405 (August 24, 2026), Iran's central bank accepted only 70 trillion tomans of banks' combined 419.96 trillion toman demand in the open market operation for the week ending Shahrivar 2, equal to 16.6 percent of total demand. The report said the acceptance rate was up slightly from two weeks earlier, when the central bank approved 60 trillion tomans of demand, but remained low overall. Ecoiran described the approach as a sign of the central bank's intent to contain liquidity growth amid the country's inflationary conditions. The report said the value of agreements maturing in the same window was about 60.26 trillion tomans, and the yield to maturity on part of the unmet demand that shifted to the overnight market rose to 24 percent, compared with 23 percent in the open market operation itself.
Ecoiran
Central Bank Governor: Iran's Monthly Inflation Eased to About 4 Percent in Mordad
Abdolnasser Hemmati, Governor of Iran's central bank, told a meeting with members of the Iran Entrepreneurs Association on Sunday, Shahrivar 1, 1405 (August 23, 2026), that monthly inflation in Mordad (the month ending August 22) was about 4 percent, while liquidity growth stood at 55 to 56 percent. According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, published Sunday night, that reading puts year on year inflation for Mordad at 84.9 percent, up 0.9 percentage points from the prior 84 percent level, though it marks a slowdown in the pace of price growth compared with previous months. The report said monthly inflation ran at 7 to 8.5 percent during the spring months of the Iranian year before easing to 3.6 percent in Tir (the month ending July 22) as tensions eased. Hemmati also said the country's foreign exchange reserves have strengthened since Bahman of last year (roughly February 2026), adding that the central bank has supplied an average of $175 million a day in foreign currency since the start of the Iranian year, versus about $205 million a day in the same period last year.
Donya-e-Eqtesad
US Treasury Launches 'Operation Economic Outcast', Sanctions Nearly 60 Entities and Vessels While Sparing Major Chinese Banks
The US Treasury Department detailed its 'economic D-Day' campaign on Monday, Shahrivar 2, 1405 (August 24, 2026), with Secretary Scott Bessent formally launching what officials called 'Operation Economic Outcast' against Iran. According to Oilprice.com, the first round targeted nearly 60 individuals, entities and vessels across Iran's digital asset, technology, gold, aviation and shipping sectors, adding to existing sanctions on Iran's financial, petroleum and petrochemical industries. The report said the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated brokers and 'shadow fleet' vessels operating in the UAE, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Switzerland and Europe that Treasury said channel Iranian oil revenue to the IRGC Quds Force. Washington stopped short, however, of sanctioning the larger Chinese banks that facilitate purchases of Iranian crude, of which China buys more than 80 percent of Iran's seaborne exports. Citing Reuters data, the same report said China's Iranian crude imports fell to roughly 534,000 barrels per day in August, down from 823,000 barrels per day in July.
Oilprice.com
IRGC Statement Marking Government Week Pledges Strategic Cooperation Against the 'Economic War'
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement on Monday, August 24, 2026 (2 Shahrivar 1405) marking "Government Week," in which, according to Ecoiran, it announced full readiness for strategic cooperation with the government and described synergy between the two institutions as the country's way through "multilayered sanctions" and a means of strengthening national resilience. Per the statement's text, it called the efforts of all government sectors, from economy and trade to oil, industry, agriculture, banking and diplomacy, in countering sanctions, managing markets, securing essential goods, controlling inflation and creating jobs an "irreplaceable and decisive role." The IRGC also announced its readiness to cooperate in areas including economic security, logistical support, infrastructure development, addressing regional deprivation, and combating smuggling and corruption.
Ecoiran
Supreme Labor Council to Form Wage Committee to Review Worker Pay
According to ISNA, in a report relayed by Donya-e-Eqtesad on Monday, August 24, 2026 (2 Shahrivar 1405), Fatemeh Mohammadian, head of Iran's High Council of Workers' Guild Associations, said a "wage committee" will be formed under the Supreme Labor Council. She said that at the Supreme Labor Council's session on Sunday, 1 Shahrivar 1405 (August 23, 2026), a proposal from workers' representatives to revisit wage adjustment was approved, despite opposition from employer representatives, after the deputy for labor relations backed forming the committee; it is due to be established by the end of Shahrivar (late September) and will examine various pay-increase scenarios. Mohammadian, referring to a proposed cost-of-living basket figure of nearly 100 million tomans, said the issue must be discussed in the wage committee and factored into wage decisions, stressing that a purely numerical pay raise, without simultaneously containing inflation, would not meaningfully improve workers' living standards.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing ISNA
Iran's Judiciary Chief: Consensus Exists on Need to Reform Gasoline Pricing, but Not on Timing or Method
According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, Iran's Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i said on Monday, August 24, 2026 (2 Shahrivar 1405), addressing ongoing discussions about reforming energy carrier pricing, that the state of production, pricing and consumption of energy carriers, specifically gasoline, is unsatisfactory and needs reform. He said there is near-consensus among experts and officials involved on the need for reform, but disagreement remains over when and how it should be carried out.
Donya-e-Eqtesad
Fed's Kashkari Says Treasury Market Still Functioning Properly, but Iran War Keeps Inflation Risk Alive
According to Ecoiran, Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and one of three Fed officials who had called for a rate hike at the central bank's previous meeting, said on Monday, August 24, 2026 (2 Shahrivar 1405) that the US Treasury market is still functioning properly. He added, however, that he remains unsure inflation will return to the Fed's 2 percent target in the near term. Kashkari pointed to the Iran war and persistently high energy prices, saying these factors could intensify inflationary pressure in the US economy. The remarks came as the 10-year US Treasury yield has recently traded near its highest level in several months.
Ecoiran
US 10-Year Treasury Yield Nears Multi-Month High Despite Bessent's Buyback Plan
According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Bloomberg, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Thursday, August 20, 2026 (29 Mordad 1405) a plan to buy back a large portion of long-term US debt, funded by increased short-term bill issuance, which he called a "Treasury twist." Long-term bond yields fell for only a single day after the announcement before resuming their climb; the 10-year yield ended that week, on Friday, August 21, at 4.73 percent, near its highest level since Bessent took office. The same report noted that one measure of US debt crossed the $40 trillion mark during the same week, while uncertainty over Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's strategy has added to investor concern. JPMorgan's rates strategy desk reported on Thursday that bond market functioning had improved so far this year.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing Bloomberg
Iran's Deputy FM Rebuts Bessent's 'Greatest Financial Assault in History' Claim
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, responded on X on Monday, August 24, 2026 (2 Shahrivar 1405) to comments by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, writing: "Mr. Bessent! Your narrative doesn't add up: you say Iran's military capability has been dismantled, nearly 100 percent of its military factories destroyed, and its nuclear program buried, yet you needed the 'greatest financial assault in history' and the mobilization of every US institution and authority against this same Iran. Is that a victory, or an admission of American failure?" Earlier the same day, Bessent had claimed the Trump administration had entered the "final phase" of its campaign against Iran, announcing what he called an "Economic D-Day," and described the move as the largest financial assault ever organized against a country, aimed at cutting off Iran's economic lifelines using every US institution and authority.
Khabar Online
Railway CEO: Iran-Afghanistan Rail Transit Reaches 130,000 Tons a Month
Jabbar Ali Zakeri, CEO of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways, said six rail network bridges destroyed during recent wars were rebuilt and returned to service within 12 to 24 hours, and at most five days, restoring domestic and international rail links to their pre war state, according to a Mehr News Agency report published Sunday, Shahrivar 1, 1405 (August 23, 2026). Zakeri said rail freight with Afghanistan, previously under 15,000 tons a year, has now reached about 130,000 tons a month, with a forecast of reaching about 1.5 million tons within a year. He also said passenger rail service between Tehran and Van, halted for about five years, has resumed, and rail links with Central Asia and Turkey have become more active.
Mehr News Agency
Wage Review Committee for Workers to Convene in Shahrivar
Iran's Supreme Labor Council, with representatives of the government, workers and employers, decided at the end of a meeting on the evening of Sunday, Shahrivar 1, 1405 (August 23, 2026), that a wage committee would convene later this month to review workers' pay for the second half of the year and the possibility of an adjustment given rising inflation. According to Eghtesadonline, citing ISNA, Asad Salehi, the workers' representative on the council, said labor representatives raised and pursued the wage review issue under an "other matters" item on the meeting's agenda. The same session also reviewed articles 97 and 99 of labor court procedure and article 190 of the labor law.
Eghtesadonline, citing ISNA
600,000 Jobs Spared Layoffs Through 20 Trillion Toman War Facility
Morteza Zamanian, deputy for economic policy at Iran's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, said in remarks published Sunday, Shahrivar 1, 1405 (August 23, 2026), that about 20 trillion tomans in facilities have been introduced to banks for enterprises damaged by the war, of which more than 7 trillion tomans has been disbursed so far. According to Eghtesadonline, he added that more than 600,000 workers at risk of layoffs because of the war have been covered through support for the enterprises employing them. Zamanian said part of the facility has been approved and is awaiting disbursement, while another part requires applicants to complete documentation.
Eghtesadonline
Only 53 Percent of Government Bonds Offered at This Year's 11th Auction Found Buyers
According to Ecoiran, at this year's 11th government bond auction the state offered 84,100 billion tomans in bonds but sold only 44,600 billion tomans, about 53 percent. The report said total bond sales since the start of the year have covered only 22 percent of the budget ceiling set for this financing channel. It attributed the shortfall to a widening gap between the government's financing needs to cover its budget deficit and buyers' willingness to purchase the bonds.
Ecoiran
Aref Cites 23 Fold Gap in Gasoline Subsidy Between Income Deciles as Government Denies 80,000 Toman Figure
According to Ecoiran, citing Donya-e-Eqtesad and published Sunday, Shahrivar 1, 1405 (August 23, 2026), First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said in remarks on gasoline subsidies that Iran's top income decile benefits from 23 times more gasoline subsidy than the bottom decile, and that past governments had backed away from fixing this imbalance to avoid political "trouble." Aref, pointing to the multi billion dollar cost of subsidized gasoline, stressed the need for "groundwork and cooperation" to reform the policy and described gasoline as part of the "national wealth belonging to future generations." He said Iran's normal gasoline output is about 110 million liters a day, reaching up to 125 million liters under some conditions, while consumption during the recent 12 day war exceeded 150 million liters a day. Responding to rumors of an 80,000 toman gasoline price, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said the figure is inaccurate and that no new price or pricing model has been approved so far. Mohajerani said that if any decision is finalized, the government must communicate it transparently and directly to the public. Aref's remarks did not name a specific figure, and observers see them as a sign the government is preparing public opinion for a possible reform of fuel policy, potentially through rationing or a multi tier pricing system.
Ecoiran, citing Donya-e-Eqtesad
Rosatom: Number of Russian Specialists Back at Bushehr Plant Reaches 42
Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Russia's state owned Rosatom, said the number of Russian specialists who have returned to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant has now reached 42, according to Russia's Interfax news agency, as reported by Ecoiran on Sunday, Shahrivar 1, 1405 (August 23, 2026). The figure marks a notable rise from the 25 specialists Rosatom had reported on August 9 and 10. Likhachev said that if current conditions hold, the number of Russian staff at the plant will reach about 100 by this autumn, describing the situation at Bushehr as "calm and stable." Rosatom began withdrawing its staff from Bushehr after US and Israeli military strikes on Iran in late February; Bloomberg reported in April that the number of Russian personnel at the plant had fallen to a minimum operational level of about 20. Bushehr is Iran's only operating reactor, and construction of its Units 2 and 3, which would nearly double the country's nuclear generation capacity, was halted last March after strikes near the complex.
Ecoiran, citing Interfax
Long Term Bond Yields in the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan Hit Multi Decade Highs
According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing The Economist and published Sunday, Shahrivar 1, 1405 (August 23, 2026), the yield on 10-year US Treasury notes hit its highest level since January 2025 on August 18, and the 30-year yield briefly topped 5.3 percent, a level unseen since 2007. The US Treasury said on August 19 it will increase its purchases of long-term debt starting next month, a move Deutsche Bank analysts said reflects the government's growing concern over bond yields. Long-term yields in the UK, France and Germany have also hit their highest levels in more than a decade, and Japan's 30-year yield has moved close to its historic high. The Treasury also said US federal debt has topped 40 trillion dollars for the first time, equal to about 130 percent of last year's GDP, with the budget deficit estimated at around 6 percent of GDP. Per the report, the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed and has kept US diesel prices elevated; fund managers surveyed by Bank of America expect Brent crude to average around 76 dollars a barrel by year end, but bond markets show far less confidence in that stability. Large technology companies have sold about 75 billion dollars in bonds to fund AI data center buildouts, which Goldman Sachs estimates has nearly doubled these companies' total debt load versus a year earlier.
Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing The Economist
Iran's Agricultural Producer Inflation Hits a Record 126.1 Percent in Spring 1405
According to Ecoiran, published Sunday, Shahrivar 1, 1405 (August 23, 2026), an analysis of the producer price index for farming, horticulture and traditional animal husbandry shows year on year inflation for the index reached 126.1 percent in spring 1405 (the quarter ended June 21, 2026), the highest reading recorded for this index since the start of the 1390s decade (early 2010s). The figure marks a jump of more than 52 percentage points from winter 1404's year on year rate of 74.1 percent. Among subcategories, grains posted the sharpest year on year increase at 183.9 percent, followed by traditional cattle raising at 143.7 percent, other animal products at 125.8 percent, and traditional animal husbandry at 120.4 percent. Horticulture recorded the smallest rise among the subsectors at 102.7 percent, while farming and horticulture combined posted 129.8 percent and farming alone 129.5 percent. Ecoiran described the jump as a warning sign for future food price pressure and household budgets, since producer price inflation typically moves ahead of consumer inflation.
Ecoiran
Carney Announces Canada's Retaliatory Tariffs on the US, Effective September 8
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced in Ottawa on Saturday, August 22, 2026 (31 Mordad 1405) that Canada will impose dollar for dollar retaliatory tariffs on US steel, dairy and electronics, taking effect September 8. According to Al Jazeera, the move came after talks between the two countries broke down late Friday; the Trump administration had earlier imposed 50 percent tariffs on about 20 billion dollars of Canadian goods, including wine, furniture, dairy, cement, clothing, fishing rods and hockey equipment, equal to about 5.5 percent of Canada's total exports to the US. Carney said the United States had proposed terms during talks that were "uneconomic and unfair," and that Quebec's culture and the French language had even been "threatened." He said Canada would unveil support measures for affected industries next week, expected to last years. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Fox News no new talks with Canada are planned. Al Jazeera cited a Leger poll showing 56 percent of Canadians favor a tougher approach toward the US.
Al Jazeera
Central Bank Data: Most Loans in First Four Months of 1405 Funded Working Capital, Not New Businesses
Fresh Central Bank data published by Eco Iran on Saturday, August 22, 2026, show that in the first four months of the Iranian year 1405 (late March to late July 2026), the industry and mining sector received the largest share of bank loans at 42.5 percent, followed by services at 34 percent, a share down from the same period a year earlier. Across industry and mining, services, trade and agriculture, most of this credit funded working capital rather than new business formation or capacity expansion, according to the data. Eco Iran said the pattern, alongside macroeconomic uncertainty, sanctions, difficulty securing foreign currency and raw materials, and heightened uncertainty from recent conflict, points to firms focused on financing day-to-day operations rather than planning for growth.
Eco Iran