Mike Baker

This makes these venues prime targets for a regime that seeks to root out and suppress any political dissent, particularly among younger Iranians.

Officials with the NCRI note that this behavior, essentially weaponizing the country's most popular sport into a tool of surveillance and repression, is a blatant violation of FIFA bylaws requiring national federations to operate independently from political authorities and remain free from outside interference.

and that that should result in Iran being banned from participating in the World Cup.

The deputy director of the NCRI's U.S.

arm likened the situation to international sports bans imposed on apartheid-era South Africa, telling Fox News, "...the regime uses sports and athletic events in order to exert its repression on the population."

While I should note these reports have not been independently verified, they're certainly in keeping with what we know about the Islamic regime's repressive tactics.

After all, a regime that's casually slaughtered thousands of its own citizens for protesting just months ago would probably not blink twice about turning their soccer clubs into surveillance mechanisms for the IRGC.

Fox News reported that requests for comment were sent to Iran's Soccer Federation and Iran's mission to the UN.

FIFA was also contacted for comment.

As of yet, nobody's responded.

And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday, the 11th of June.

Now, if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, just reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com.

Finally, if you have not already, I do hope you'll wander over to YouTube and at some point check out our channel at President's Daily Brief.

I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin.

Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

It's Wednesday, the 10th of June.

Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin.

All right, to be fair, it's the early evening bulletin for today.

I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage.

Let's get briefed.