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Thailand's Ministry of Finance: Will consider imposing taxes on gold trading and gold imports.

According to the Financial Times, the UK Office for National Statistics is using artificial intelligence to cut costs and improve data.

According to the Financial Times, Shell (SHEL.N) has attracted interest from potential buyers for the sale of its U.S. chemical assets, a deal that could reach $8 billion. Shell has already attracted interest from potential bidders including ExxonMobil and LyondellBasell.

Russian online retailer Ozon said its logistics center in Dagestan caught fire after a drone attack.

I. Possible US Sanctions 1. Expanding "Secondary Sanctions"—This is currently the most certain and market-focused direction. Trump has previously explicitly threatened that any country continuing to do business with Iran could face serious economic consequences. India, Gulf states, and other countries and companies doing business with Iran are particularly at risk. 2. Escalating Oil Sanctions—US sanctions on Iranian oil may extend to downstream buyers and settlement channels. Possible measures include: sanctioning foreign refineries that purchase Iranian crude oil; sanctioning ship owners, insurance companies, and ship management companies that help transport Iranian oil; sanctioning foreign banks that provide settlement for Iranian oil trade; and imposing broader blockades on "shadow fleets" circumventing sanctions. 3. **Escalation of Financial Sanctions** – The US may target Iran's "shadow banking" and funding channels outside the US dollar, or expand financial sanctions to include banks, non-bank financial institutions, currency exchange brokers, gold trading, crypto assets, and offshore accounts, targeting an entire financial chain. 4. **Further Targeting "Third-Country Aids"** – The US has signaled that sanctions will not only target Iranian companies, but also foreign companies that help Iran circumvent sanctions. Escalated sanctions may include Iran's foreign trading partners, foreign banks, and foreign shipping/airline companies. II. US Sanction Measures Already Taken** 1. **Freezing Iranian Assets** – In November 1979, then-US President Carter issued an executive order freezing the assets of the Iranian government and related entities in the United States. 2. **Designating Iran as a State Sponsor of Terrorism** – In the 1980s, the United States officially designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism, marking a significant turning point in its sanctions policy against Iran. Furthermore, the Reagan administration expanded trade restrictions, prohibiting the import of large quantities of Iranian goods into the United States. 3. **Banning U.S. Companies from Doing Business with Iran** – In the 1990s, the U.S. sanctions policy against Iran underwent its most crucial escalation, shifting from solely sanctioning Iran to sanctioning (U.S.) companies doing business with Iran. The Clinton administration issued an executive order prohibiting U.S. companies from conducting business with Iran. 4. **Formal Initiation of "Secondary Sanctions"** – In 1996, the United States passed the Iran Sanctions Act, beginning to impose sanctions on foreign companies investing in Iran's energy sector. 5. The Nuclear Issue Becomes the Core of Sanctions—In the 2000s, the nuclear issue became the core of US sanctions against Iran. During this period, the US began imposing sanctions on Iran's nuclear facilities, uranium enrichment, nuclear materials, and missile development. Simultaneously, in 2006, the US pushed the UN Security Council to impose international sanctions on Iran's nuclear program. 6. Financial Strangulation Begins—In 2010, the US expanded its sanctions against Iran's financial system, stipulating that foreign banks assisting Iranian entities in sanctioned transactions would also be subject to US sanctions. In 2011, the US further imposed sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran and Iran's oil revenues. 7. Sanctions Expanded to More Industries—From 2012 to 2015, the US expanded sanctions from oil to the entire economic system, imposing sanctions on Iran's oil, petrochemical, shipping, insurance, precious metals, automotive, mining, and financial sectors. 8. Designating the Revolutionary Guard as a Terrorist Organization—In 2019, the Trump administration directly designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a foreign terrorist organization. The Revolutionary Guard, along with its affiliated companies, financial networks, shipping networks, and oil revenues, became targets of US action.

New Zealand Prime Minister Lukeson announced that the government will introduce legislation to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms and require technology companies to take full responsibility for strict age verification.

At the close of the morning session, most domestic futures contracts rose, with container shipping to Europe up over 7%, ethylene glycol (EG) up over 5%, coking coal up nearly 4%, coking coal, lithium carbonate, caustic soda, and gold futures up nearly 3%, and soda ash and glass up over 2%. On the downside, apples and polysilicon fell nearly 2%, rapeseed and live pigs fell over 1%, and paraxylene, rapeseed oil, and PTA fell nearly 1%.

According to Interfax news agency, citing local officials, drone debris caused a fire at a warehouse in Russia's Dagestan region.

[Iranian Researcher: Tehran Views US Sanctions and Blockades as Acts of War] Tehran-based international relations researcher Mohsen Farhani stated that Tehran views Washington's sanctions and blockades as acts of war, not merely economic pressure. He said, "These sanctions are war in themselves, and the blockade imposed on Iran is also part of this war. Therefore, both the blockade and sanctions are forms of war, requiring a response from Iran." Farhani stated that regardless of whether Iran considers countries like the UAE, Turkey, Iraq, and Pakistan as adversaries after reducing trade with Iran due to US pressure, these countries "will not sever ties with Iran." He added that the UAE's reduction in trade with Iran "is entirely due to US pressure. Otherwise, we have been neighbors since ancient times, and I don't think it's possible to completely sever ties with Iran because of the deep connections between us." He also stated that Iran has always maintained caution in taking its position and ensured that it complies with international resolutions.

According to The Information, Nvidia (NVDA.O) is in discussions to invest in Perplexity at a valuation exceeding $30 billion and is considering a technology licensing agreement.

Analyst Trita Parsi stated that the Trump administration believes it has turned the tide in the Iran game. The US assessment argues that the detour of maritime shipping through the Oman corridor, coupled with reduced global demand for Persian Gulf oil, has diminished the effectiveness of Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Simultaneously, the US naval blockade has severely restricted Iran's ability to export oil. From the US perspective, this has been more costly for Iran than for the US. This assessment has altered the strategic equation. Trump now believes he is no longer forced to yield to Iran's demands and can afford the costs. For the first time since the start of the war, the US has concluded that time is on its side. Assuming this assessment is correct, the more important question is how Trump intends to handle this newly acquired leverage. If the US views Iran's predicament as an opportunity to force its surrender rather than a lasting solution through negotiations, the outcome is more likely to be a new war than an end to the conflict. Iran has proven that when faced with the choice between surrender and escalation, it will choose the latter. Therefore, giving Iran the same choice again is unlikely to produce a different result. The only way to translate this unexpected shift in the balance of power into a political victory is through diplomacy. However, historically, the United States has tended to make this very mistake. Whenever US policymakers conclude that time and leverage are on their side, they often see Iran's weakness not as an opportunity for compromise, but rather as a chance to seek its surrender. The danger is that Trump will repeat this mistake. He will mistake leverage for victory, turning a potentially advantageous negotiating position into a continuation of the tragedy in US-Iran relations.

Data from the UK National Grid shows that the Hisham 2-7 nuclear reactors have been restored to grid operation after being shut down.

Hong Kong-listed robotics stocks declined, with RoboSense (02498.HK) falling 10.17%, Yuejiang (02432.HK) down 5.10%, and UBTECH (09880.HK) down 4.23%.

The Finnish Foreign Minister recently stated that Finland is open to France's proposal to extend the nuclear umbrella to the whole of Europe, while emphasizing that this move would not replace the United States' nuclear deterrent force.

[Former US Defense Department Official: Sanctions Against Iran Won't Overthrow the Iranian Regime, But Will Severely Damage the Revolutionary Guard] Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Mulroy stated that the new round of sanctions against Iran aims to extend its impact far beyond Iran. He said, "This is what's called secondary sanctions. All countries, institutions, and entities that do business with Iran and have trade relations with it will be sanctioned. This includes other countries and financial institutions that handle Iranian financial transactions." Mulroy stated that Washington is also targeting Iranian infrastructure used to circumvent restrictions: "The US is also taking action against shadow fleets used to smuggle Iranian oil and circumvent sanctions." However, he stated that this strategy has limitations: "These measures will not overthrow the Iranian regime, but will deal a significant blow to it and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, cutting off financial support to the organization." Mulroy linked the push for sanctions to a key US domestic political timeline. He stated, "I think the US chose this option rather than escalating military action before the US midterm elections because war is not particularly popular with the American public or in American public opinion." He added that if Iran attacks any regional allies or US targets, the current standoff "could escalate to the military level."

The Hang Seng Index (HSI) opened down 229.34 points, or 0.88%, at 25780.12 on Monday, August 24th; the Hang Seng Tech Index opened down 53.0 points, or 1.11%, at 4713.16 on Monday, August 24th; the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index opened down 84.99 points, or 0.98%, at 8549.35 on Monday, August 24th; and the Hang Seng Red Chip Index opened down 4.37 points, or 0.1%, at 4287.98 on Monday, August 24th.

According to Greek media reports, Athens deployed an air defense system to Crete after Iran threatened US military bases in Europe.

SoftBank will issue 1 trillion yen in bonds.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index opened 18.30 points higher, or 0.20%, at 9077.20 on Monday, August 24.

The NI225 opened down 153.79 points, or 0.23%, at 65,862.57 on Monday, August 24.