US President Donald Trump’s sudden claim of “very good and productive conversations” with Iran triggered sharp surges in stock futures and a plunge in oil prices, but suspicious trading spikes occurred minutes before his Truth Social post, raising fresh accusations that Washington is deliberately weaponizing war news to benefit connected insiders while escalating and de-escalating tensions for financial gain.
Just 15 minutes before Trump posted on Truth Social about holding talks with Iran and postponing strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, an unusual burst of market activity erupted.
S&P 500 futures and oil contracts saw massive volume spikes far above normal pre-market levels, with traders placing bets worth hundreds of millions of dollars that stocks would rise and oil would fall — precisely the move that followed Trump’s announcement.
Reports from American and British outlets including CNBC, the Financial Times, Daily Mail and Bloomberg documented the anomaly, noting that thousands of oil contracts changed hands in seconds at volumes up to 16 times the average, while nearly $2 billion in S&P 500 futures trades occurred in a quiet period.
Critics say this pattern fits a familiar playbook of the US administration using inflammatory threats against Iran followed by sudden claims of progress to swing global markets, allowing well-connected players to profit while ordinary investors and oil-dependent economies suffer volatility.
Iran has repeatedly denied any such negotiations are taking place, dismissing Trump’s statements as fabricated to serve American interests.
The episode comes amid Washington’s broader campaign of aggression against the Islamic Republic, where market manipulation through selective leaks and timed announcements appears designed to extract economic advantage even as civilian infrastructure in Iran continues to face attack.
Separately, Iranian officials have condemned the latest US tactics as yet another example of Washington’s reckless disregard for international stability in pursuit of profit and dominance.