# Traders bet $500 million on oil price just before Trump's post on delay to Iran attack | Reuters

> Brent crude fell as much as 15% within minutes after Trump's Truth Social post signaled constructive talks with Tehran and delayed threatened strikes on power plants. Reports say traders had bet about $500 million on lower oil just before the post. Natural gas also sold off.

- Date: 2026-03-24 · published 2026-03-24T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: geopolitics · region Middle East · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/8154-traders-bet-500-million-on-oil-price-just-before-trump-s-post-on-delay-to-iran
- Commodities: [Crude Oil (Brent)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BRENT.md), [Natural Gas](https://feedsoft.ai/c/NATGAS.md)

## Why it matters

The sell-off reflects markets pricing in a possible reopening of Gulf energy flows, which lowers input costs for energy and biofuel markets that affect feed grains and oilseeds.

## Read by commodity

- BRENT: bearish ▼
- NATGAS: bearish ▼

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BRENT | 2026-03-23 | 1 | -12.4% | -4.0 | Describes Brent falling as much as 15% within minutes of Trump's post on delaying attacks, and the large pre-post bets on lower oil, confirming the trigger and sharpness of the drop. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BRENT | 2026-05-29 | [Oil prices soften as traders bet on renewal of US-Iran truce - CNBC TV18](https://feedsoft.ai/events/12492-oil-prices-soften-as-traders-bet-on-renewal-of-us-iran-truce-cnbc-tv18.md) | +2.5% | -21.2% |
| BRENT | 2026-04-08 | [Oil prices plunge on Trump's US-Iran ceasefire post](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6900-oil-prices-plunge-on-trump-s-us-iran-ceasefire-post.md) | -13.7% | -8.7% |
| BRENT | 2026-03-23 | [Oil Prices Fall More Than 10% After Trump Postpones Iran Strikes](https://feedsoft.ai/events/11451-oil-prices-fall-more-than-10-after-trump-postpones-iran-strikes.md) | +1.5% | -13.8% |
| BRENT | 2025-06-25 | [Israel-Iran war highlights Mideast's declining influence on oil prices \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/9611-israel-iran-war-highlights-mideast-s-declining-influence-on-oil-prices-reuters.md) | -1.1% | +1.5% |
| BRENT | 2026-03-24 | [Oil prices drop 2% as Iran considers US proposal to end war \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/8151-oil-prices-drop-2-as-iran-considers-us-proposal-to-end-war-reuters.md) | +15.1% | +0.4% |
| NATGAS | 2026-05-06 | [Brent Crude Price: Oil and gas plunge after report US and Iran near deal to end war](https://feedsoft.ai/events/9582-brent-crude-price-oil-and-gas-plunge-after-report-us-and-iran-near-deal-to-end.md) | +2.4% | +10.0% |
| NATGAS | 2026-04-17 | [Oil settles down 9% after Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/8807-oil-settles-down-9-after-iran-declares-strait-of-hormuz-open-reuters.md) | -3.0% | +4.7% |
| NATGAS | 2026-03-10 | [Oil and gas prices fall after Trump says war is 'very complete' - BBC News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/9387-oil-and-gas-prices-fall-after-trump-says-war-is-very-complete-bbc-news.md) | -5.0% | -7.7% |

## Sources

- reuters.com: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/traders-bet-500-million-oil-price-just-before-trumps-post-delay-iran-attack-2026-03-24/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.