Apparently the drone/missile strike that outed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on January 3, 2019 was the result of a war-of-words that had been mounting up since the summer of 2018 between this now martyred military leader and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Daily Mail reveals a translated sub-texted video wherein General Soleimani taunted and ridiculed US President Donald Trump in front of an audience of worshipers at a Muslim Mosque in the summer of 2018, saying:

The President’s ‘idiotic comments’ had been delivered ‘in the style of a bartender or a casino manager’. He (Soleimani) then raised his voice to a yell and, wagging his finger, declared: ‘Mr. Trump, the gambler! You are well aware of our power and capabilities in the region.

‘Come, we are waiting for you. We are the real men on the scene, as far as you are concerned. You know that a war would mean the loss of all your capabilities. You may start the war, but we will be the ones to determine its end.’

On July 23, 2018 President Trump issued the following Tweet:

Said to be in response to the late December 2019 killing of a US contractor at a military base in Iraq, on January 3, 2020, the US took action against these taunts.

An American MQ-9 Reaper drone fired an air-to-ground Hellfire R9X “switchblade” or “flying Ginsu” missile that killed Gen. Soleimani.  The R9X is a missile that doesn’t carry explosives but 6 pop-out blades that slice through everything in its path, thus limiting collateral damage. The Hellfire R9X is said to be designed to only kill terrorists, not nearby civilians.  Drone strikes were reportedly killing hundreds of civilians in recent years.

Stock tip

As if to tip off investors, hours before the US strike at Baghdad’s International Airport killed Iran’s top military leader, former Obama National Security Council (NSC) official Steven Simon posited in a New York Times Op-Ed that Soleimani could be assassinated using a hypersonic missile while visiting Baghdad.

Hellfire Systems LLC in Orlando, FL is a Lockheed Martin/ Boeing joint venture, and is the only source of Hellfire missiles.

The stock price per share for Lockheed Martin Corp. rose considerably on the announced drone/Hellfire RX9 strike against a target in Iraq on January 3.  The price appears to have risen just prior to the announced attack.

This was followed the next day (Jan. 4) with unconfirmed reports of a retaliatory missile strikes against a US military base in Iraq.  A posting  published at ZeroHedge.com said: “the report remains unconfirmed, stocks reacted instantly, sliding sharply if rebounding modestly.”

So, these military actions appear to be a morose stage for buying and selling stocks.

This war parade, complete with conspicuous identification of the brand name of the drone and missile used in the drone air strike, said to be conducted in secrecy (Congress was not informed, but NY Times reporters were), was really soft advertising for its maker, was it not?

It was like name-dropping the designer of a gown at a celebrity wedding (“and the bride wore a $6000 Oscar De La Renta Luvi wedding dress),” or showing the winner of the Indianapolis 500 auto race on TV wearing an embroidered Firestone cap and shirt emblazoned with sponsors’ names while drinking from a bottle of milk as a reward for his victory.)

A publicity write-up of the attack might as well have been written to say: “And the target of the attack was outed by a quarter of a million-dollar Hellfire RX9 missile (Boeing NYSE: BA/Lockheed Martin NYSE: LMT),” complete with New York Stock Exchange symbols, as if that is some kind of honor.  The only thing missing in the official news releases were the stock symbols.  War is a Racket: The A... Smedley Darlington Butler Best Price: $6.45 Buy New $3.79 (as of 03:45 UTC - Details)

Facetiously, informed investors should know the price-tag for one drone strike’s worth of Hellfire missiles is said to be ~$242,000.  The Pentagon spent $190.2 million in 2015 on 1,720 Hellfire missiles.   A list of Hellfire missile orders for fiscal year 2011-18 can be found online.

One commentator asserts President Trump is paying the price of threatened impeachment because he had blocked and/or delayed $400 million weapons sales to the Ukraine.  Nothing like paying political consequences for messing up the cash flow of weapons makers.  Of course, when Trump did authorize the military aid, there was supposed to be more than political reciprocation (investigate Biden), but also buy US-made Javelin missiles.

So, if you are going to be outed in a military strike, go out with the highest honor.  Insist on the Hellfire RX9.  Best for suspected terrorists and enemy leaders to cover their bases and buy stock in the missile maker so their families will be taken care of after their death.  Might was well collect on the other side of the action.  That’s what Wall Street does.  Someone else’s misery is Wall Street’s gain.