The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 13th, 2024: Trump Mulls Strikes On Iran's Nuclear Sites & Inside Assad's Covert Escape To Russia
Fri, 13 Dec 2024
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First, President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering preemptive airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program when he returns to office in January, as part of a "maximum pressure 2.0" campaign designed to bring the Islamic regime to its knees. Then, we’ll take you inside Bashar al-Assad’s final days in Syria, as reports emerge that the former strongman abandoned his loyalists and deceived those closest to him in order to flee to Russia under the cover of darkness. 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 Blackout Coffee: https://www.blackoutcoffee.com/PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the focus of the PDB Afternoon Bulletin?
Kickstart your day with a terrific taste of Blackout Coffee. Family-owned, premium coffee, fresh roasted and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Think about that. Go to blackoutcoffee.com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first-time purchase. It's Friday, 13 December. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage.
Chapter 2: What preemptive actions is Trump considering against Iran?
Coming to you this week from somewhere in the Middle East. Let's get briefed. First, President-elect Trump. is reportedly considering preemptive airstrikes on Iran's nuclear program when he returns to office in January.
Then we'll take you inside now-toppled despotic dictator Assad's final days in Syria as reports emerge that the former strongman abandoned his loyalists and deceived those closest to him in order to flee to Russia under the cover of darkness. But first, our afternoon spotlight.
Though President-elect Trump won't assume office for another month, he already has his sights set on Iran, particularly what the U.S. can do to undermine the regime's nuclear ambitions.
According to Trump Transition Sources, who spoke with The Wall Street Journal, the president-elect is currently fleshing out his planned Maximum Pressure 2.0 campaign against the mullahs in Tehran and is even considering preemptive strikes on Iran's nuclear program.
The strikes could involve partnering with Israel, though the sources stressed they are working on a plan that would stop short of igniting a new war in the Middle East, particularly one that pulls in U.S. forces. Yeah, that would be good. Military strikes would break with the U.S.
's longstanding policy of working to contain Iran through diplomacy and sanctions, though that strategy has, frankly, done little to curb the regime's belligerence on the international stage. Following Israel's ceasefire with Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon earlier this month and the fall of Assad's regime in Syria on Sunday,
The military strike option reportedly came under more serious review by senior members of Trump's transition team. Iran's regional position has been significantly weakened, that's putting it mildly, by Israel's campaign to destroy their proxies over the past year, which officials say has left Iran feeling backed into a corner. Due to this isolation, fears are high among U.S.
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Chapter 3: How did Assad escape Syria?
and Israeli intelligence officials that Iran may pivot to accelerating their development of a nuclear weapon. As we have previously discussed on the PDB, Iran has increased their stores of uranium enriched to 60% purity tenfold, ten times since August, and is now in possession of enough material to produce roughly 12 nuclear weapons. So, what options are the Trump team considering?
Chapter 4: What are the implications of military strikes on Iran?
While the sources stress that conversations are still in the early stages, the first option centers on creating a show of force in the Middle East by sending more U.S. troops, warplanes, and ships to the region. At the same time, the U.S.
Chapter 5: What options does the Trump team have regarding Iran?
would sell advanced weapons to Israel, such as bunker busters capable of penetrating Iran's nuclear sites, most of which, of course, are fortified underground or inside mountain complexes. The idea is that the threat of military action by both the US and Israel, paired with new economic sanctions, well, may be enough to convince Iran to come to the negotiating table.
Similarly, another option would focus on the Trump administration issuing unilateral threats of action against the Iranian regime's nuclear program, also paired with crippling sanctions, in order to scare Iran into resolving the issue diplomatically.
Chapter 6: How might Israel be involved in U.S. actions against Iran?
If the planned threat of force fails to yield results, Trump confidants told the Journal that the main military option would be to either support Israeli strikes on Iran's main nuclear facilities, such as Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan, or to directly participate in a joint operation.
Now, Trump has reportedly discussed these options in recent calls with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who said he and Trump, quote, see eye to eye on the Iranian threat in all its components, end quote.
As a reminder, Israel already got the ball rolling on this issue back in late October, when they mounted their counter-retaliation against the Iranian regime for the Iranian regime's ballistic missile attack on Israel. During the operation on October 25, Israel destroyed an active top-secret nuclear weapons research facility located just 20 miles south of Tehran.
As for Trump, it's not clear what his preferred path forward is, though he's regularly said he wants to avoid further regional escalation in the Middle East. But on Thursday, in an interview with Time, he said there was a chance the U.S. could go to war against the mullahs, saying, quote, anything can happen, end quote. All right.
Coming up, we take you inside Assad's final days in power and his chaotic and hasty escape from Syria to Russia. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let's talk about your online security. Now, going online without the protection offered by ExpressVPN is like leaving your blinds open at night, right? That's a little creepy.
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