On the 20th (local time), Ebrahim Azizi, chair of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, warned any US misjudgment or 'wrong move' could have serious consequences. He urged the US to end its military presence in the region and to accept that the regional security landscape is changing.

China's Baotou Rare Earth Research Institute, Tianjin branch, has achieved a core technical breakthrough in the project to develop an ultra-dry anhydrous scandium chloride production process, successfully producing scandium chloride with water content below 50 ppm. The institute says it now masters full-series rare-earth anhydrous halide synthesis technology, filling a domestic gap in scandium-based high-end rare-earth functional materials. The ultra-dry scandium chloride can be used in laser crystal manufacture, specialty light sources, radiation detection equipment, fuel cells and high-safety lithium batteries, providing material support for China's low-altitude economy and new-energy system development.

Sweden's central bank left the policy rate at 1.75% for a 12th consecutive month—the lowest in the EU—and said it is prepared to tighten policy this year if the Iran war accelerates inflation. Governor Erik Thedéen said a hike later this year remains possible; in June the bank placed a 50% probability on a 25bp rise in 2026 and warned that unexpectedly high summer inflation that signals a broader, more persistent increase would prompt tighter policy.