Flash floods caused by heavy rain killed seven Iraqi tourists in north-eastern Iran on Saturday, Iranian state media reported, the latest in rising casualty tolls as the downpours continue.
The official IRNA news agency said the tourists were part of a 13-member group of Iraqis visiting Iran.
They were travelling in an estate car on a road near the city of Mashhad, about 800 kilometres east of the capital, Tehran, when a flash flood swept their car away.
The dead included five women and the group’s Iranian driver. Three Iraqis were missing while the other passengers managed to get to safety.
Iranian authorities on Saturday raised the death toll from landslides and flash floods that engulfed the country since Thursday to 61 as eight more bodies were retrieved.
It said at least 32 people were still missing.
The national crisis centre said the heavy rain, which has affected 21 of Iran's 31 provinces, was expected to continue until Monday.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited a rescue operation centre in Firuzkuh, one of the stricken villages north-east of Tehran, on Saturday and promised more help for the area.
He said that a quick reaction team and a group of search and rescue dogs continue to search the area to find missing people.
Tehran province was the hardest-hit with 35 deaths. Nearby Mazandaran province had the highest number of missing people at 20, a list published by the Red Crescent showed.
There were fears the death toll could rise further as more bodies were uncovered as the rains abated. Thousands of people have been transferred from remote areas to safer places.
The heavy rain is unusual for this time of year in Iran, which is in the middle of its summer, and are regarded as part of a pattern of extreme and unpredictable weather worldwide as a result of climate change.
Last Saturday, flash floods in Iran’s drought-stricken southern Fars province killed at least 22 people and affected about a dozen villages in the province.
This week’s storm is the deadliest among Iran’s rain-related incidents in the past decade. In 2019, a flash flood killed at least 21 people in the southern city of Shiraz, and two years earlier, a storm claimed 48 lives in north-western Iran.
Mudslides in northern Iran in 2001 and in Tehran in 1987 killed 500 and 300 people, respectively.
Authorities have blamed the high death tolls on a wide disregard for safety measures by people who venture out in the storms, while critics cite mismanagement in construction projects as well as late warnings as other causes.
With reporting from agencies.
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Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:
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- 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
- 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
- 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
- 6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
- 7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
- 8. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / AG2R) 5
- 9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Dimension Data) 5
- 10. Richie Porte (Australia / BMC Racing) 4
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
