The Day of Three-Tier Gasoline Price Implementation and Activist Arrests

The day's dominant narrative in Iranian media was the official implementation of a three-tiered gasoline pricing system, which significantly increased fuel costs at gas stations. State-affiliated outlets emphasized the smooth execution of this new policy, with discussions around dual-fuel conversion projects and new CNG stations also emerging. Concurrently, reports focused on the arrests of Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi and other civil activists during a memorial service for Khosrow Alikordi, with the Mashhad prosecutor confirming 39 detentions. This domestic economic shift and the ongoing crackdown on activists overshadowed earlier discussions about President Pezeshkian's diplomatic efforts in Central Asia and the US-Qatar defense pact, as well as the confiscation of an oil tanker for fuel smuggling and reports of the US seizing a ship bound for Iran. The economic impact was further highlighted by reports of the dollar soaring past 129,000 tomans in the free market and unprecedented increases in currency and gold prices, with a reported seven-fold rise in medicine costs.