Mike Baker

Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin.

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

All right, let's get briefed.

First up, we've been closely tracking a growing U.S.

military buildup in the Middle East.

And now, well, we're getting clarification of sorts on why it's happening, as President Trump reportedly presses his generals for, quote, decisive action against Iran.

I'll have the details.

Later in the show, another Venezuelan oil tanker is intercepted, marking the seventh seizure as Washington escalates enforcement of sanctions on Caracas.

But first, today's afternoon spotlight.

For days now, we've been closely watching a steady and deliberate U.S.

military buildup across the Middle East, aircraft and naval assets moving into the region, missile defenses being reinforced.

At the time, the administration said little about what those moves ultimately signaled.

Now, new reporting suggests the picture is coming into focus.

According to the Wall Street Journal, President Trump is pressing his national security team for what he's repeatedly described as, quote, decisive military options against Iran.

This comes after the president seemed to pull back from ordering strikes just last week, even as Iran's regime continues a sweeping crackdown on protesters at home.

Now, the language is what makes this reporting stand out.

Administration officials say Trump has used the word decisive again and again in internal discussions, an indication that he's not interested in just symbolic or limited action.

That phrasing has reportedly pushed Pentagon planners and White House advisers to refine a wide range of military options, from a more constrained strike against Iranian military infrastructure to broader actions.

The military posture in the region is shifting in ways that would give the president a variety of options if he chooses to act.

An aircraft carrier group is now en route toward the Persian Gulf, bringing with it a full complement, of course, of strike aircraft and destroyers and electronic warfare capabilities.