Three topics the state's outlets and Iranians outside the state both covered on October 20, quoted verbatim side by side.
Markets Latest close on or before Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Changes are from the prior close; up, down.
Dollar, free market
2,648,000 rial
up 0.53% from prior closeTether (USDT)
2,600,050 rial
up 0.04% from prior closeEmami gold coin
2,661,300,000 rial
up 0.30% from prior closeTEDPIX, Tehran Stock Exchange
8,272,444
up 0.23% from prior closeStrait of Hormuz transits
4 ships
2 tankers, both directionsData to Oct. 18: PortWatch posts with a lagIMF PortWatch
Verbatim, from state and state-aligned outlets
Markets, official lists, voices outside the state
Shown: one item per side, chosen from 5 on this topic that day (4 state, 1 non-state). All of them are on the researcher pages.
Tehran Says
State and state-aligned outlets
Mehr, in its own words
The Central Bank is not seeking to put a floor under the dollar price; a fall in the dollar is possible.
بانک مرکزی به دنبال کف‌سازی قیمت دلار نیست؛ امکان ریزش دلار وجود دارد.
Mehr, «بانک مرکزی به دنبال کف‌سازی قیمت دلار نیست؛ امکان ریزش دلار وجود دارد», October 20, 2026, 14:56 Tehran time, mehrnews.com.
Iran Shows
Reformist dailies inside Iran
Etemad, in its own words
Will the inflation engine calm down in the second half of the year?
موتور تورم در نيمه دوم سال آرام خواهد شد؟.
Etemad, «موتور تورم در نيمه دوم سال آرام خواهد شد؟», October 20, 2026, etemadnewspaper.ir.
Market figure
Dollar, free market
tgju.org, Dollar, free market, October 20, 2026, tgju.org.
Shown: one item per side, chosen from 4 on this topic that day (2 state, 2 non-state). All of them are on the researcher pages.
Tehran Says
State and state-aligned outlets
Mizan, in its own words
Employee welfare benefits were made exempt from tax.
مزایای رفاهی کارکنان مشمول معافیت شد.
Mizan, «مزایای رفاهی کارکنان مشمول معافیت شد», October 20, 2026, 14:12 Tehran time, mizanonline.ir.
Iran Shows
Reformist dailies inside Iran
Shargh, in its own words
According to a new circular by Sobhaniyan, the head of the Tax Administration Organization, employee welfare and incentive benefits, including housing allowance, family allowance, child allowance and allowances for household consumable items, have been declared tax-exempt within customary limits and in accordance with the rules announced for the private and public sectors.
بر اساس بخشنامه جدید سبحانیان رئیس کل سازمان امور مالیاتی، مزایای رفاهی و انگیزشی کارکنان از جمله کمک‌هزینه مسکن، عائله‌مندی، حق اولاد و کمک‌هزینه اقلام مصرفی خانوار، در حدود متعارف و مطابق ضوابط اعلام‌شده برای بخش خصوصی و دولتی، از مالیات معاف اعلام شده است.
Shargh, «معافیت مالیاتی حق مسکن و حق اولاد اعلام شد + بخشنامه», October 20, 2026, 13:44 Tehran time, sharghdaily.com.
Shown: one item per side, chosen from 4 on this topic that day (1 state, 3 non-state). All of them are on the researcher pages.
Tehran Says
State and state-aligned outlets
IRGC Public Relations روابط عمومی سپاه, as quoted by Mehr
Sepah public relations announced that two offending oil tankers, following the explosion of naval mines on the illegal southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, were set on fire and stopped.
روابط عمومی سپاه اعلام کرد که دو فروند نفتکش متخلف در پی انفجار مین‌های دریایی در مسیر غیرقانونی جنوب تنگه هرمز به آتش کشیده و متوقف شده‌اند.
Mehr, «سپاه: دو نفتکش متخلف در تنگه هرمز متوقف شدند», October 20, 2026, 13:06 Tehran time, mehrnews.com.
Iran Shows
Reformist dailies inside Iran
Ham-Mihan, in its own words
Analysis by the former head of MI6 on the Middle East situation: there is a diplomatic solution for resolving the Strait of Hormuz issue.
تحلیل رئیس پیشین ام‌آی۶ از وضعیت خاورمیانه: برای حل مساله تنگه هرمز راه‌حل دیپلماتیک هست
Ham-Mihan, «تحلیل رئیس پیشین ام‌آی۶ از وضعیت خاورمیانه: برای حل مساله تنگه هرمز راه‌حل دیپلماتیک هست», October 20, 2026, 14:37 Tehran time, hammihanonline.ir.
Market figure
Strait of Hormuz transits
3.7 ships a day, 7-day average
2 tankers among the 4 ships on Oct. 18, 20267-day average to Oct. 18, 2026, the latest day IMF PortWatch has posted by Oct. 20
Latest figure: market strip at the top of the page
IMF PortWatch, Strait of Hormuz transits, October 18, 2026, portwatch.imf.org.
Sanctions and courts, October 20, 2026: no new U.S. Treasury Iran designations and no new U.S. federal court filings naming Iran.
Oil: Brent crude 126.55 dollars a barrel on October 14, 2026. That is the newest daily price the U.S. Energy Information Administration had posted by October 20; EIA publishes daily prices several days late, so this one is 6 days older than the edition.
Items: everything MEF's Persian press monitor captured from 14 outlets between October 20, 2026 00:00 and 24:00 Tehran time (45 state, 106 non-state). Pairs: topics ranked by how many items they drew across both sides; the top topics with a state item and a non-state item or figure appear. Translation: one model translates, a second translates back into Persian, a third compares; only close matches appear. Full method.
Edition of Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Prepared October 21, 2026
Cite as: Middle East Forum, "Two Irans, October 20, 2026," https://iran.meforum.org/two-irans/2026-10-20/.