Federal regulators are investigating potentially suspicious oil futures trades that occurred just before two major shifts in U.S. policy toward Iran. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has launched a probe into market activity surrounding March 23, when President Trump delayed planned strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, and April 7, when the administration agreed to a ceasefire with Iran.

The investigation seeks to determine whether traders had advance knowledge of these significant policy changes before they became public information. Such insider trading could have generated substantial profits for those positioned correctly in oil markets before the policy announcements. The CFTC's scrutiny highlights concerns about market integrity when geopolitical events create sudden and significant price movements in sensitive commodities like oil.