FX Shock in Iran: The US dollar hit a record 2 million Iranian rials on the unregulated market, underlining accelerating currency pressure as inflation stays high and foreign-currency demand grows. Sanctions & Hormuz Risk: Iran’s president defended a US memorandum as the best route out of “neither war nor peace,” while a top security official warned neighbors that joining America’s “economic war” makes them an enemy and threatened “seismic” retaliation. Lebanon Macro Hit: The World Bank projects Lebanon’s economy will shrink 6.4% in 2026 after renewed conflict damage, with hundreds of thousands still displaced and infrastructure losses weighing on tourism and demand. Iraq Labor Strain: Workers and contract staff protested in Baghdad, Babil and Kirkuk over overdue salaries and demands for permanent jobs, with tens of thousands affected. Iraq FX Watch: Parallel dinar rates stayed near 154,500 IQD per $100 versus the central bank’s 131,000 benchmark, reflecting ongoing cash-dollar demand. West Bank Settlement Pressure: Egypt urged preserving Gaza/West Bank territorial integrity and condemned E1 settlement plans; meanwhile, reports put Israeli settlements/outposts at 592. FinTech/Payments for Travel (Türkiye): TravelDistro launched an API-first B2B travel marketplace with HMAC-signed requests and idempotent retries, aiming to bring payments-grade reliability to travel distribution. Digital Economy Agenda (Arab League): Arab League officials met digital-economy leaders in Cairo to discuss AI-driven growth, investment, and data-economy readiness.