Controlled reopening ends Iran's lengthy stock market shutdown
Iran's capital markets reopened on 20 May 2026, the first time since the onset of the Iran-US war. The Tehran Stock Exchange resumed activity within a daily price-move band of 2 percent and partial trading rules designed to limit volatility in share prices.
Under a decision by Iran's Securities and Exchange Organization on 20 May 2026, the Tehran Stock Exchange and Iran Fara Bourse reopened after having been closed since 28 February 2026. The reopening ends an approximately 81-day shutdown that began with the outbreak of the Iran-US war. SEO Chairman Hossein Fahimi said the reopening was "of a controlled-transition character".
The restraining rules set for the first day include a daily price-move band of 2 percent, sales limits for institutional investors, and short-position bans in banking, insurance, oil refining and selected industrial firms. The TEDPIX index rose 1.98 percent at the open, testing the intraday upper limit. Total trading volume equates to about 1.2 billion dollars, around 23 percent of pre-war average daily volume.
The Iranian government emphasises that around 41 percent of household savings as a share of GDP is held through stock exchange equities and investment funds. Limiting public wealth losses stands out as the principal political rationale for reopening. IMF and World Bank observers are monitoring the impact of the reopening on the war economy; export revenues and foreign reserves remain under pressure.
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