- A Morgan Stanley wealth manager representing Pete Hegseth approached BlackRock in February 2026 to explore a multimillion dollar investment in its Defense Industrials Active ETF
- The attempted transaction occurred just weeks before the United States and Israel launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran
- The investment did not proceed because the specific exchange traded fund was not yet available for purchase on the Morgan Stanley platform at that time
- Financial experts and ethics observers have raised concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest given Hegseth's prominent role in shaping U.S. military policy toward Tehran
- Market analysts report that defense stocks and oil prices have surged following the strikes with oil reaching 130 dollars per barrel amid stagflation risks
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth broker sought multimillion dollar defense fund investment before Iran attack
Mar 30, 2026, 11:34:16 PM UTC(22 hours ago)
Impact: Very High
Affected Assets
Sources
From:@WatcherGuru
JUST IN: 🇺🇸🇮🇷 Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's broker attempted large defense stock investments weeks before US attacked Iran, FT reports. https://t.co/NkHTW9rrS4
