US lawmaker urges SEC to probe 'suspicious' trading around Iran military action

U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (D) has urged the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate unusual trading in oil and stock futures markets that occurred just before President Donald Trump postponed a military strike against Iran last month. Torres stated that the speed, size, and structure of the trades were all highly suspicious, adding that neither the SEC nor the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) should ignore the matter. He has asked regulators to launch a formal investigation into transactions made in the oil, energy, and stock futures markets minutes before a post by President Trump on March 23 and to secure the trading records of the accounts involved.