Tehran stock market sees record capital flight amid post-war uncertainty

Iranian investors withdrew over 132 trillion rials—nearly $145 million—from Tehran’s stock market on Wednesday alone, marking a historic record amid deepening mistrust following the recent conflict with Israel.

The selloff came as the Tehran Stock Exchange plunged for a fourth consecutive trading day after the ceasefire. The main index dropped by 57,000 points to 2.73 million.

On Tuesday, individual investors pulled out 64.78 trillion rials—around $71 million—in a single trading day, according to Iranian media.

That followed a deep-in-red opening on Saturday, the first trading day after the 12-day war, when 99% of listed stocks declined and the market lost 62,503 points.

The panic coincided with a cyberattack on Sepah and Pasargad banks that further fueled public distrust in the financial system.

In the days following, large sums were moved abroad through exchange shops. To stem the outflow, multiple exchanges experienced technical disruptions beginning Monday, Iran International previously reported.

During the war, currency and gold markets were largely inactive, but they resumed trading this week with both the US dollar and gold prices climbing.

The Tehran bourse has historically been sensitive to geopolitical stress, but recent market behavior suggests a deeper crisis of confidence—compounded by economic mismanagement, financial sector instability, and the Islamic Republic’s response to external shocks.