Strature BriefsCountry OutlookNo. 002Edition 1.0 (archive)30 Sep 2026
Country Outlook · Iran

Is any single future for Iran likely?

No. The most likely of six registered futures, a Guard-run holding pattern, stands at 13.74%, our estimate, scored when it resolves; about 43% lies outside all six.

Archive edition. Researched 18 July 2026; harmonised to the current house standard 30 September 2026. Evidence to 30 September 2026; facts refreshed 30 September 2026.

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Live exhibits

The free exhibits, with their data.

Each exhibit is drawn from the edition’s own data, with its source and credit as printed. Its data can be downloaded as CSV.

Exhibit X1 · Country Outlook No. 002
The most likely registered future holds 13.74%; 43.2% lies outside all six
Probability, resolving ~18 Jul 2028 · our estimate, scored when it resolves · Strature register · denominator: 100% of outcomes

Dashed line: Even odds · 50%

F-0020 · 13.74%

  • 13.74% Most likely
  • 43.06% Five other named futures, summed
  • 43.2% Outside all six named futures (derived)
SourceStrature forecast register, lines 196-199, 201-202; hashes verified 30 Sep 2026.LicenceStrature's own registered forecasts; redistributable with attribution to Strature.How to read this plateThe accent marks the share the exhibit's title is about; the bar is the whole, 100%.DataDownload the data (CSV)Strature
Exhibit X2 · Country Outlook No. 002
Compliance, Hormuz and Gulf infrastructure each rate high for three reader types
Exposure by domain and reader type · the firm's judgement of exposure, not a likelihood · Strature, 30 Sep 2026 · denominator: 6 domains by 6 reader types

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Exporters and tradersDirect investors and operatorsLenders, bondholders and insurersLong-horizon allocatorsGovernments (as a channel of exposure)People and labour
Hormuz transit and oilHighMediumHighMediumHighMedium
Compliance and paymentsHighHighHighLowMediumNot assessed
Gulf infrastructureMediumHighHighMediumHighMedium
Iraq energy dependencyMediumHighMediumLowHighNot assessed
Red Sea shippingHighMediumMediumLowMediumMedium
Operations inside IranMediumHighMediumLowLowHigh
  • High
  • Medium
  • Low
  • Not assessed
SourceStrature judgement, 30 Sep 2026, from the source's exposure board (18 Jul 2026); reasons in exposure_matrix.csv.LicenceStrature's own judgement; may be shown and downloaded on the site with credit to Strature.How to read this plateFirm's judgement; not a likelihood. Dashes: not assessed.DataDownload the data (CSV)Strature

3 further exhibits stay in the full brief: their source licences do not allow redistribution.

Since publication

What has changed since the research, dated.

Registered forecasts are never changed: they stay as issued and are scored as registered. Facts found after the research date are listed here with their date and source.

Registered with this edition, as issued

Forecasts registered with this edition, printed as issued
No.ForecastEstimateIssuedResolvesStatus
F-0007S1 Guard-Managed Attrition (MODAL)15.1% our estimate, scored when it resolvesIssued 23 Jul 2026Resolves 18 Jul 2028Superseded, still scored
F-0008S3 Contested Drift / Paralysis11.7% our estimate, scored when it resolvesIssued 23 Jul 2026Resolves 18 Jul 2028Open
F-0009S5 Nuclear Dash under Pressure11.5% our estimate, scored when it resolvesIssued 23 Jul 2026Resolves 18 Jul 2028Open
F-0010S2 Frozen Siege9.2% our estimate, scored when it resolvesIssued 23 Jul 2026Resolves 18 Jul 2028Open
F-0011S6 Regime-Targeting War & Rupture6.5% our estimate, scored when it resolvesIssued 23 Jul 2026Resolves 18 Jul 2028Open
F-0012S4 Negotiated Off-ramp (LEAST LIKELY)5.3% our estimate, scored when it resolvesIssued 23 Jul 2026Resolves 18 Jul 2028Superseded, still scored
F-0020S1 Guard-Managed Attrition (MODAL) corrected; supersedes F-000713.74% our estimate, scored when it resolvesIssued 7 Aug 2026Resolves 18 Jul 2028Open
F-0021S4 Negotiated Off-ramp (LEAST LIKELY) corrected; supersedes F-00124.16% our estimate, scored when it resolvesIssued 7 Aug 2026Resolves 18 Jul 2028Open

Facts since the research date

  1. 23 Jul 2026

    The source was delivered and six futures registered as F-0007 to F-0012, resolving ~2028-07-18.

    Strature forecast register, lines 195-200

  2. 29 Jul 2026

    US Central Command said it carried out a heavy wave of strikes on Iranian military targets after attempted attacks on US forces, as reported by Stars and Stripes.

    Stars and Stripes, 1 Sep 2026 (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  3. 7 Aug 2026

    F-0020 and F-0021 superseded F-0007 and F-0012 (odds-ceiling correction): 15.1% to 13.74% and 5.3% to 4.16%. The originals remain sealed and scored.

    Strature forecast register, lines 127-202

  4. 24 Aug 2026

    According to OFAC's Iran programme page, OFAC published an alert titled 'Sanctions Risks of Iranian Demands for Strait of Hormuz Passage' (24 Aug 2026) and suspended Iran general licences F and G; licence J-1 followed on 8 Sep 2026.

    OFAC, Iran programme page (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  5. 30 Aug - 1 Sep 2026

    US forces struck Revolutionary Guard forces that US Central Command said were attempting to lay mines, with strikes on Larak Island on 30 August, the first known US strike since 29 July; they struck Guard targets again on 1 September, according to US Central Command as reported.

    Stars and Stripes, 1 Sep 2026 (retrieved 30 Sep 2026); US Central Command's own site not read (robots.txt, per wave 1)

  6. Sep 2026

    Saudi Arabia shut its East-West pipeline after it was damaged in a drone strike launched from Iraq; loadings later picked up at Yanbu.

    CNBC, 30 Sep 2026 (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  7. 15 Sep 2026

    Brent spot reached US$130.80, its highest daily price since April; the week to 25 September averaged US$117.08.

    US Energy Information Administration, Brent spot, release of 30 Sep 2026

  8. 24 Sep 2026

    The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council threatened regional airports that comply with US measures against Iranian airlines, the Council on Foreign Relations reported, citing Al Jazeera.

    Council on Foreign Relations, Global Conflict Tracker (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  9. 25-26 Sep 2026

    Iran presented a seven-day plan to reopen the strait if the US released frozen funds, lifted oil measures and ended its blockade; the US President rejected it. Iran's foreign minister said Iran would not back down on its conditions.

    Al Jazeera, 26 Sep 2026 (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  10. 28 Sep 2026

    Crude through Hormuz reached a seven-day average of 13.5 mb/d, the pre-war baseline; refined products ran at 677,000 b/d against 3.6 mb/d before the war. Iran's own crude exports had fallen sharply under the US blockade. For crude and products together, CNBC, citing Kpler, gives 14.2 mb/d, and Wikipedia gives 13.19 mb/d; the conflict is printed, not resolved. About 40% of Gulf crude bypassed Hormuz by pipeline, against 17% before the war (Kpler, via CNBC), and Iranian attacks on tankers continued, some lethal (CNBC, 30 Sep 2026).

    CNBC, 30 Sep 2026, citing Kpler (retrieved 30 Sep 2026); Wikipedia, 2026 Iran war (second-hand)

  11. 29 Sep 2026

    An unidentified projectile struck a vessel transiting the strait; the fire was put out and no casualties were reported, the Council on Foreign Relations reported, citing Al Jazeera.

    Council on Foreign Relations, Global Conflict Tracker (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  12. 30 Sep 2026

    No confirmed footage of the new Leader had been released since his appointment; written messages attributed to him were read on state television. The source's master signal has not fired.

    Wikipedia, Mojtaba Khamenei (second-hand, retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  13. 30 Sep 2026

    A historic low of 2.5 million rials to the dollar was reported, against about 1.9 million in the source edition's July reading.

    Wikipedia, 2026 Iran war (second-hand, retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  14. 30 Sep 2026

    Whether any of these events bears on the registered futures is decided only at resolution on ~2028-07-18. All eight are printed and scored as registered.

    Strature forecast register (W-35)

No new forecast is issued with these facts; a new view would be a new, separately dated forecast.

Strature GPS · Questions this brief answers

21 questions answered, each on the map.

Each answer is quoted verbatim from the brief, with the section that answers it and the countries it touches. Answers with a register ID are our estimates, scored when they resolve; the others are the brief’s reading of the evidence, not forecasts.

Answered in: Brief-level answer

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

Is any single future for Iran likely?

“No. The most likely of six registered futures, a Guard-run holding pattern, stands at 13.74%, our estimate, scored when it resolves; about 43% lies outside all six.”

our estimate, scored when it resolves

On the register: F-0020 14%, open · F-0008 12%, open · F-0009 12%, open · F-0010 9%, open · F-0011 6%, open · F-0021 4%, open. The forecast register

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran Affected United States of America, Israel

Answered in: 07 · Real authority moved to the Revolutionary Guard while the new Leader stayed unseen

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

Who actually holds power in Tehran?

“Into that gap, the source judged, the Revolutionary Guard moved as the decisive force: the only intact institution of national reach when the clerical apex fell.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

Has the new Supreme Leader been seen since his appointment?

“As of 30 September 2026 no confirmed footage of him had been released since the appointment, according to Wikipedia's article on him (second-hand, retrieved 30 Sep 2026), which also records written messages attributed to him and read on state television.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

Answered in: 04 · The great powers gave Iran money and cover in 2026, but no protection

Answered in: 02 · Three of the six futures resolve nothing, and the one settlement is the least likely

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

Do the six registered futures resolve the crisis?

“Three futures, Guard-Managed Attrition, Contested Drift and Frozen Siege, are variants of no resolution: the conflict grinds, freezes or muddles on.”

On the register: F-0020 14%, open · F-0008 12%, open · F-0010 9%, open. The forecast register

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

Answered in: 03 · Removing the apex made Iran's risks move together

Answered in: 05 · The UN measures lifted in 2015 were restored in 2025, and the source read US secondary measures as reaching third parties

Geoeconomic30 Sep 2026

How far does the sanctions perimeter around Iran reach, on the source's reading?

“The exposure travels with the transaction, not with the flag.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

Answered in: 06 · The 2026 war redrew the neighbourhood by subtraction

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

How did the 2026 war change Iran's neighbourhood?

“No year since 1979 reordered the Gulf and the Levant as fast as 2026, and it did so mainly by taking things away from Iran.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran Affected Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey

Answered in: 08 · Society has withdrawn its support, and the coercive core has held

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

Has Iran's coercive apparatus held?

“Through mid-2026 the source found no elite defection and no fracture in the security forces.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

Answered in: 10 · Six domains are assessed, and three rate high for three reader types each

Geoeconomic30 Sep 2026

Where does exposure to Iran sit?

“The largest Iran exposure most firms carry sits outside Iran: the strait, the oil price, the compliance chain, Gulf assets.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran Affected Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq

Geoeconomic30 Sep 2026

Does the Strait of Hormuz stay open to normal commercial traffic?

“Crude through Hormuz reached a seven-day average of 13.5 mb/d to 28 Sep 2026, matching the pre-war baseline, under US military escorts and ship-to-ship transfers (Kpler, via CNBC, 30 Sep 2026).”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran Affected Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain

Geoeconomic30 Sep 2026

Does Gulf infrastructure stay inside the war's range?

“Airports, fuel tanks and at least one desalination plant were struck, the source recorded; the Saudi East-West pipeline was shut in September 2026 after a drone strike launched from Iraq (CNBC, 30 Sep 2026).”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran Affected Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates

Geoeconomic30 Sep 2026

Can Iraq keep its lights on without Iranian gas?

“About a third of Iraqi power generation depends on Iranian gas, a widely cited figure the source could not independently confirm; Iraqi militias and US forces struck each other during the war.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran Affected Iraq

Countries in this questionIslamic Republic of IranIraq

Answered in: 11 · Brent moved further in both directions than the source's range

Geoeconomic30 Sep 2026

Did the oil price move as the source said?

“The US Energy Information Administration's daily Brent spot series shows a wider range over the same period: from US$68.53 to US$138.21 between 2 March and 17 July 2026 (EIA, release of 30 Sep 2026).”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

Answered in: 12 · The master signal is whether the new Leader appears and governs in his own voice

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

What decides which future for Iran arrives?

“Its fastest early-warning signal was whether the new Leader ever appears and speaks in his own voice.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

Answered in: 14 · The interim deal broke down before the research date, and Iran's seven-day plan was rejected after it

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

Has the US-Iran negotiating track held since July 2026?

“US forces struck Revolutionary Guard targets on 30 August and 1 September 2026, the first known US strike since 29 July, according to US Central Command as reported by Stars and Stripes (1 Sep 2026).”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran Affected United States of America

Answered in: 17 · Two registrations were corrected downward on 7 August 2026, and both originals are still scored

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

Were any of the registered Iran forecasts corrected?

“Both moved down, and the unnamed tail moved up, from about 41% to about 43%: the correction made the outlook less confident, not more.”

our estimate, scored when it resolves

On the register: F-0020 14%, open · F-0021 4%, open · F-0007 15%, superseded, still scored · F-0012 5%, superseded, still scored. The forecast register

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

Answered in: 18 · The cone of futures widens with time: Iran is more uncertain at ten years than at two

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

Is Iran more uncertain at ten years than at two?

“None moves inside two years; each decides the decade.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

Answered in: 19 · Eleven discontinuities sit outside the six futures, and no odds are assigned to them

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

Which ruptures could replace the outlook with the least warning?

“Two carry the shortest warning and the highest impact, on the source's reading: loss of custody of nuclear material and an apex decapitation.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

Answered in: Executive summary · Since publication

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

What has moved since the research date?

“Since the research date, the US President rejected Iran's seven-day plan to reopen the strait on 26 September 2026 (Al Jazeera).”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran Affected United States of America

Answered in: 23 · Seven dated tripwires would show a key judgement wrong

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

What would prove the Iran call wrong?

“The call would be wrong if a single future became likely: above all, a durable settlement signed by an Iranian leadership able to deliver it, with independent nuclear verification restored and six months without cross-border strikes.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Islamic Republic of Iran

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