‘Unreal’: Trump directly called out for alleged market manipulation by unlikely source

President Donald Trump has faced repeated accusations of market manipulation amid his administration’s ongoing war against Iran, but on Sunday, a new critic emerged, and one whose observations stunned onlookers.

Trump has made a number of well-timed social media posts regarding updates on the Iran war that have significantly shifted markets. Coupled with reports of "mysterious trading patterns,” critics have increasingly alleged Trump to be “using the war” to enrich his inner circle.

On Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf jumped into the discourse surrounding Trump and alleged market manipulation, only with a piece of financial advice for Americans.

“Heads-up: Pre-market so-called 'news' or 'Truth' is often just a setup for profit-taking. Basically, it’s a reverse indicator,” Ghalibaf wrote Sunday in a social media post on X. “Do the opposite: If they pump it, short it. If they dump it, go long. See something tomorrow? You know the drill.”

That the U.S. war against Iran had devolved to the point where a senior Iranian official was not only calling Trump out on alleged market manipulation, but offering financial advice to Americans, left many observers floored.

“Iranians going after Trump's market manipulation is probably more effective than going after THAAD batteries,” wrote economist and author Saifedean Ammous Sunday in a social media post on X to their more than 418,000 followers.

Oil market researcher Rory Johnston described Ghalibaf’s remarks as “unreal” in a social media post to their more than 83,000 followers, and Edward Dowd, a financial analyst, called them "surreal.”