Washington DC - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's broker at Morgan Stanley reportedly attempted to make a massive investment in defense companies mere weeks before the US and Israel launched their war on Iran.

The Financial Times has cited multiple anonymous sources who said that Hegseth's broker contacted BlackRock in February about a potential multi-million dollar investment.

Not long before the US launched a major war of aggression against Iran, Hegseth's broker reportedly sought to invest in the BlackRock's Defense Industrials Active ETF, three sources claimed.

The $3.2 billion equity fund reportedly flagged the inquiry internally because it was made on behalf of a high-profile client.

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If true, the attempted investment would have been made into an ETF that includes some of the Defense Department's biggest customers, including RTX, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.

Shares in defense companies have in many cases risen dramatically over the weeks since the war began, as weapon manufacturers cash in on the violence.

The US-Israeli war has claimed hundreds of civilian lives in Iran and Lebanon and caused chaos in the global economy, with oil prices skyrocketing. It has also triggered a wider conflict as Iran retaliates with strikes across the Middle East.

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's chief spokesperson, responded to the allegations by labeling them "entirely false and fabricated."

"Neither Secretary Hegseth nor any of his representatives approached BlackRock about any such investment," Parnell raged on X.

"This is yet another baseless, dishonest smear designed to mislead the public. We demand an immediate retraction."