Iranian shop owner Morteza Asaadi (L) attends to a customer at his shop in downtown Bur Dubai on September 3, 2026. In the narrow streets of Old Dubai, saffron, cumin, pistachios and almonds from Iran continue to line the stalls, as if the war in the Middle East had had no impact on trade flows between the two sides of the Gulf. Last month, the United Arab Emirates announced the suspension of trade and financial ties with Tehran, which retaliated against US attacks by targeting the country and blocking the strategic Strait of Hormuz. But in the neighbourhoods of old Dubai, where they are firmly established, Iranian traders do not believe that the ties forged over decades between the Gulf city and southern Iran particularly the informal ones will be severed. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)

An Iranian saffron seller Yassir works in his shop at Deira in Dubai on September 2, 2026. In the narrow streets of Old Dubai, saffron, cumin, pistachios and almonds from Iran continue to line the stalls, as if the war in the Middle East had had no impact on trade flows between the two sides of the Gulf. Last month, the United Arab Emirates announced the suspension of trade and financial ties with Tehran, which retaliated against US attacks by targeting the country and blocking the strategic Strait of Hormuz. But in the neighbourhoods of old Dubai, where they are firmly established, Iranian traders do not believe that the ties forged over decades between the Gulf city and southern Iran particularly the informal ones will be severed. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)

People walk past a Fila store at a shopping mall in Beijing on September 13, 2026. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP via Getty Images)

People visit a shopping mall in Beijing on September 13, 2026. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP via Getty Images)

People visit a shopping mall in Beijing on September 13, 2026. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP via Getty Images)

TOPSHOT - In this photo taken on September 7, 2026, Annalyn Pangandaman prays inside her house at a temporary resettlement area in Marawi, Lanao del sur province on southern island of Mindanao. Mother of six Annalyn Pangandaman, 47, said there is no tap water and the community endures intermittent power cuts at the temporary resettlement site for displaced families. From May to October of 2017, Islamic State-linked gunmen and the Philippine military fought brutal house-to-house battles that turned Marawi's 400-hectare business district into a ghost town. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with AFP story Philippines-vote-unrest-missing, FOCUS by Cecil MORELLA, Chad WILLIAMS

TOPSHOT - Resident Niki So (L1) and her family stand behind the gate of their village house as Hong Kong government officers carry out a land resumption operation against them in the Kwu Tung area of Hong Kong's northern New Territories, on June 23, 2026. An area roughly a third of Hong Kong including villages, natural wetlands and farmland are being converted into the "Northern Metropolis", an ambitious project aimed at deepening integration with the mainland, diversifying the economy and providing new homes. (Photo by Leung Man Hei / AFP via Getty Images) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY: Hong Kong-economy-technology-development, FOCUS by Catherine LAI

TOPSHOT - Officers from Hong Kong's Lands Department, accompanied by police and other security personnel, enter resident Niki So's village house during a land resumption operation in the Kwu Tung area of Hong Kong's northern New Territories, on June 23, 2026. An area roughly a third of Hong Kong including villages, natural wetlands and farmland are being converted into the "Northern Metropolis", an ambitious project aimed at deepening integration with the mainland, diversifying the economy and providing new homes. (Photo by Leung Man Hei / AFP via Getty Images) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY: Hong Kong-economy-technology-development, FOCUS by Catherine LAI