April 9 (Reuters) - The White House warned U.S. government staff against improperly leveraging their positions to place bets in futures markets in an email on March 23, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing sources.

The Journal said the announcement was made hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social he would order the military to postpone any strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure.

The White House confirmed the authenticity of the warning, WSJ said.