WSJ: White House warns staff against betting on Iran-related events

The White House has issued a warning to staff against using their official positions to place bets on futures markets, a move that came a day after US President Donald Trump announced a suspension of strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure.

A letter—whose authenticity was confirmed by the White House—was sent on March 24 to all employees via the Executive Office, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Market activity surrounding developments in Iran intensified 15 minutes before the announcement of a two-week truce: data from Dow Jones Market Data show that oil futures trades worth more than $760 million were executed in less than two minutes.

In addition, three accounts on the Polymarket platform earned over $600,000 by correctly predicting the timing of the truce, and had previously made $1.2 million by forecasting a U.S. strike on Iran on February 28.

At the same time, the WSJ notes that there is no evidence of leaks or insider trading involving administration officials.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov