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DOJ Investigates USD2.6B in Suspicious Iran War Oil Trades
(MENAFN) The U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation into over $2.6 billion in oil trades flagged for their suspicious timing, each executed moments before President Donald Trump unveiled key announcements linked to the continuing conflict with Iran, ABC News reported Thursday.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) are scrutinizing at least four large-scale trades in which investors wagered heavily on falling oil prices — each placed shortly ahead of Trump announcements on ceasefires, military delays, and updates regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the report said, drawing on sources and data from the London Stock Exchange Group.
Neither the DOJ nor the CFTC has issued public comment on the trades. The report noted that the available data neither identifies the individuals behind the bets nor constitutes proof that insider trading took place.
According to ABC News, traders staked more than $500 million on declining oil prices on March 23 — approximately 15 minutes before Trump announced he would postpone threatened strikes against Iran's power grid. A far larger wager of $960 million followed on April 7, placed hours ahead of Trump's announcement of a temporary ceasefire.
The investigation surfaces amid intensifying scrutiny over whether confidential U.S. policy intelligence related to the Iran war may have been exploited to generate profits from violent swings in oil markets.
The CFTC had previously been reported to be examining anomalous oil futures activity surrounding the March 23 and April 7 trades, with the broader probe centered on futures contracts traded through platforms operated by CME Group and Intercontinental Exchange.
Oil markets have been exceptionally volatile since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, lurching in response to strikes on energy infrastructure, ceasefire declarations, military pauses, and disruptions to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world's most strategically vital oil transit corridors linking the Persian Gulf to global energy markets and serving as a critical artery for crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas from major Gulf producers.
U.S. lawmakers have since demanded tighter oversight of the trades, cautioning that wartime policy decisions and diplomatic shifts can open the door to market manipulation when confidential government information falls into the wrong hands.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) are scrutinizing at least four large-scale trades in which investors wagered heavily on falling oil prices — each placed shortly ahead of Trump announcements on ceasefires, military delays, and updates regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the report said, drawing on sources and data from the London Stock Exchange Group.
Neither the DOJ nor the CFTC has issued public comment on the trades. The report noted that the available data neither identifies the individuals behind the bets nor constitutes proof that insider trading took place.
According to ABC News, traders staked more than $500 million on declining oil prices on March 23 — approximately 15 minutes before Trump announced he would postpone threatened strikes against Iran's power grid. A far larger wager of $960 million followed on April 7, placed hours ahead of Trump's announcement of a temporary ceasefire.
The investigation surfaces amid intensifying scrutiny over whether confidential U.S. policy intelligence related to the Iran war may have been exploited to generate profits from violent swings in oil markets.
The CFTC had previously been reported to be examining anomalous oil futures activity surrounding the March 23 and April 7 trades, with the broader probe centered on futures contracts traded through platforms operated by CME Group and Intercontinental Exchange.
Oil markets have been exceptionally volatile since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, lurching in response to strikes on energy infrastructure, ceasefire declarations, military pauses, and disruptions to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world's most strategically vital oil transit corridors linking the Persian Gulf to global energy markets and serving as a critical artery for crude oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas from major Gulf producers.
U.S. lawmakers have since demanded tighter oversight of the trades, cautioning that wartime policy decisions and diplomatic shifts can open the door to market manipulation when confidential government information falls into the wrong hands.
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