Armenia–Iran Connectivity: Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met Iran’s Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, focusing on energy and transport. Talks covered a second Armenia-Iran border bridge, speeding up a third power transmission line, and easing freight movement, alongside TRIPP progress and Iran’s support for “Crossroads of Peace.” Industrial Prices & Inflation: Armenia’s industrial price index rose from 102.8% to 108.8% in Jan–Aug 2026 vs a year earlier, while consumer inflation stayed around 4.4–4.5%, with food prices driving most of the increase. Agriculture Export Shock: Analysis of Russia’s May export restrictions shows Armenia’s replacement of lost Russian fresh-produce volumes improved from about 15% in June to roughly 48.5% in July, but the overall gap remains large. Mining & Water Management: Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine is changing dam reinforcement and raising methods at the Artsvanik tailing pond to boost seismic resilience, speed dewatering, and reuse recovered water for dust suppression and irrigation. Finance for SMEs: Evocabank raised $10m in subordinated debt (EFSE and GGF) to strengthen capital and expand lending to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Tech Promotion: Armenia’s high-tech ministry and Krisp co-founder discussed how to push Armenian AI products into international markets and attract investment. Road & Infrastructure: Yerevan’s Noragavit transport interchange reconstruction is underway (1.5bn drams) to cut chronic congestion and improve safety.