The President's Daily Brief
April 15th, 2025: Iranian Leaders Drop The Mask: “We Want the Bomb” & Israel’s Veterans Demand Peace
Tue, 15 Apr 2025
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: The United States and Iran are heading back to the negotiating table for another round of nuclear talks—but at the same time, top Iranian officials are now openly advocating for the development of a nuclear bomb. Washington and Riyadh are on the verge of finalizing a nuclear cooperation deal, signaling a major milestone in Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to develop atomic energy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under growing pressure at home. Thousands of Israeli veterans, Mossad operatives, and elite paratroopers are calling for an end to the Gaza war—even if it means negotiating with Hamas. And in today’s Back of the Brief: New satellite imagery shows North Korea may be constructing its largest warship to date. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Kikoff: Tax season is the perfect time to take control of your financial future. Get your first month FREE at https://getkikoff.com/mike TriTails Premium Beef: Visit https://TryBeef.com/PDB for 2 free Flat Iron steaks with your first box over $250 Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What are the latest developments in the US-Iran nuclear talks?
The next round of talks is set for this Saturday in Rome, according to a source in the Italian government who spoke to an Associated Press. This follows last weekend's discussions between the two lead negotiators, U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Now, sources are saying that their initial meeting on Saturday, the direct meeting between the two of them, lasted roughly 45 minutes. That's significantly longer than had initially been publicly reported. The bulk of the discussions between the two nations were handled indirectly, with Omani mediators shuttling messages between the two sides, like middle school kids passing notes in class.
A source described the brief direct dialogue between Witkow and Arakchi, the highest level direct contact between U.S. and Iranian officials in eight years, as, quote, substantive, serious and excellent. On the U.S. side, negotiators have a clear goal in mind to compel Tehran to take meaningful steps in the short term to move its nuclear program away from potential weaponization.
Now, that's a lot of words to say that the goal is no nukes for Iran. Meanwhile, Iran's objectives are just as clear. According to statements from their foreign ministry spokesman over the weekend, they want sanctions lifted. And they don't want a transparent, full, and comprehensive inspection regimen by the international community over all their facilities.
But there's a stark contrast emerging between Tehran's conciliatory language at the negotiating table, well, sort of conciliatory language, and the increasingly hardline rhetoric being used by senior officials back home. Until recently, Iran officially maintained for years the line that its nuclear ambitions were strictly peaceful for civilian purposes.
But as negotiations have restarted, influential figures within the Iranian regime have begun openly advocating for nuclear weapons. Let's look at some recent examples, translated and reported by memory, an organization that monitors Middle East media.
In late March, Ali Laranjani, a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a member of Iran's powerful Expediency Council, warned Iranian television viewers that if the U.S. or Israel made what he termed a, quote, mistake regarding Iran's nuclear program, Iran would be forced into nuclear action in self-defense.
He declared explicitly that such military aggression would not weaken Iran's nuclear capabilities, but would instead pressure the regime to reconsider its position on developing nuclear weapons, even overriding Ayatollah Khamenei's religious decree against them. And Larajani isn't alone.
On March 31st, Ahmed Naderi, an influential member of Iran's parliament, wrote on social media that nuclear deterrence had safeguarded North Korea against former President Trump's threats, strongly hinting Iran should follow Pyongyang's example.
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Chapter 2: Why are Iranian officials openly advocating for nuclear weapons now?
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Turning to Iranian rival Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and the oil-rich kingdom are reportedly inching closer to inking a preliminary nuclear cooperation deal, marking a major step toward Riyadh's push for atomic energy. U.S.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, on his first official visit to Saudi Arabia, said Sunday that Riyadh and Washington are on a, quote, pathway to reaching an agreement that would allow the kingdom to develop a commercial nuclear power industry and potentially enrich uranium.
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has long desired to develop a civil nuclear energy industry with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman making it a cornerstone of his Vision 2030 reform plan to reduce emissions. That's according to a report from the New York Times.
Such an agreement would see the US government and companies cooperate with the kingdom on developing the necessary infrastructure to develop civil nuclear capabilities. A deal has long been pursued by past administrations, with the Biden administration seeking to tie it to broader US security guarantees for Saudi Arabia and the normalization of relations between the kingdom and Israel.
But concerns over Saudi Arabia using the technology to develop a nuclear weapons program has always stymied past talks. As Crown Prince bin Salman has said, if Iran moves to develop nuclear weapons, Saudi Arabia will follow suit. U.S.
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Chapter 3: What is the status of the US-Saudi nuclear cooperation deal?
We have driven tanks, commanded troops, and paid a heavy price. It's precisely this experience that pushes us today to call for a ceasefire. The letter asked, quote, Why do we continue to sacrifice human lives for unattainable objectives?
That letter followed one from about 250 former operatives from Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, including three ex-chiefs, that also called for prioritizing the release of the hostages.
Similar letters and statements have since been released by reservists from Israel's Elite Unit 8200, the IDF's biggest military intelligence unit, as well as hundreds of reservist doctors, active duty personnel, and naval reservist officers. The letters represent rare public backlash from a military and intelligence apparatus that usually displays a united front.
But criticism has been mounting in Israel that Netanyahu's decision to resume military operations in Gaza is more about appeasing far-right members of his coalition. Those members have threatened to collapse the government if Netanyahu fails to prosecute the war until Hamas is completely eradicated.
Amid this criticism, reports emerged Monday that Netanyahu had offered a new deal to Hamas that would see the release of 10 hostages in return for a 45-day ceasefire, during which negotiations would take place for a longer-term agreement.
Hamas has reportedly signaled a willingness to pursue this offer, which we should note is being attributed to the pressure put on the terror group by Israel's renewed military operations. Previously, Hamas said they were only prepared to release one hostage.
But an Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post on Monday that significant gaps do remain between Hamas and Israel, particularly over Hamas's demands for guarantees for an end to the war. The official said, quote, Hamas is expected to respond again in the coming days, but if they remain firm on the issue of guarantees, it's hard to see the agreement happening, end quote.
Okay, coming up in the back of the brief. Satellite images reveal what appears to be the largest warship North Korea has ever built, perhaps twice the size of any ship in Kim Jong-un's current naval fleet. We'll have those details next. Hey, it's Mike Baker here. Well, it's tax season, but it's also grilling season. That's a happier note. And here's a pro tip.
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Chapter 4: How are Israeli veterans influencing the debate on the Gaza war?
If not, and if you're writing a check, well, my condolences. I'd suggest posting the check and then mixing up a nice cold martini. Don't forget, word on the street is that you can listen to this show ad-free by simply becoming a premium member of the President's Daily Brief. And you can do that by simply visiting pdbpremium.com.
I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.
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