The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 21st, 2026: Trump Preparing For 'Decisive' Action Against Iran & Another Russian Tanker Seized
21 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
It's Wednesday, the 21st of January. 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.
Chapter 2: What is the growing U.S. military buildup in the Middle East about?
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.
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Chapter 3: What decisive actions is President Trump considering against Iran?
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. Additional air and missile defenses are being moved into place, including Patriot and THAAD systems designed to blunt any possible Iranian retaliation against U.S. forces or regional partners. U.S.
Central Command confirmed that an entire squadron of F-15 fighter jets has arrived in the Middle East. These aircraft are workhorses of the U.S. Air Force, capable of conducting air-to-air combat, deep strike missions, and precision attacks against hardened targets.
They also played a key role last year in intercepting Iranian drones during a large-scale attack against Israel, highlighting their importance in regional air defense as well as offensive operations. All of this military movement is unfolding against a grim backdrop inside Iran. Death toll estimates from the regime's crackdown on protesters vary widely, but U.S.
officials now suggest the true number may be far higher than initially reported and more than the regime in Tehran is willing to admit. And yes, that is quite the statement of the obvious. While early figures place the death toll in the low thousands, American officials say assessments from international organizations point to numbers that could reach as high as 18,000.
The administration has framed its pressure on Tehran, both military and economic, as a response to that violence. President Trump has publicly argued that U.S. warnings have already had an effect, pointing to reports that Iran backed away from plans to carry out mass executions after Washington signaled possible consequence responses.
Still, major questions remain about what military action could realistically achieve. Former military officials and analysts caution that air power, just air power, while overwhelming, does not guarantee regime collapse.
A sustained campaign would likely require weeks or months of operations and could invite significant Iranian retaliation across the region, from missile strikes to attacks by proxy forces targeting U.S.
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Chapter 4: How is the U.S. military posture changing in response to Iran?
personnel and allies. That tension between the desire for decisive results and the realities of military power, well, is now at the center of the administration's debate. President Trump has long argued that his success should be measured by, quote, the wars we never get into. Yet he's also sent conflicting signals about Iran's leadership, at times expressing skepticism about regime alternatives,
and at other moments, calling openly for new leadership in Tehran. Now, anyone familiar with the White House comments during the past year regarding Putin's war in Ukraine will recognize this pattern of conflicting statements. Trump is consistent with his mixed messaging.
For now, no strike order has been given, but the buildup continues, the options are being refined, and the president is clearly keeping the door open.
If you're interested, by the way, in what a first strike against Iran might actually look like, may I suggest, here I'm suggesting, you dial up last week's PDB Situation Report, that's our extended weekend show, where I spoke with former Air Force fighter pilot Ryan Bodenheimer, and he's better known as Max Afterburner. Now, we talked about how a U.S.
air campaign would unfold and the risks that come with it, of course. You can find it and past episodes on our YouTube channel. Just go to YouTube, of course, and search for At President's Daily Brief. The episodes are also available on our podcast platforms everywhere. All right, coming up next, U.S.
forces seize a seventh Venezuelan-linked oil tanker, signaling that Washington's pressure campaign at sea is far from over. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, it is officially, of course, 2026. You knew that. But did you make any New Year's resolutions at the beginning of the month? I'll tell you one thing. I made a few.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of the U.S. military buildup for Iran's regime?
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Chapter 6: What recent developments occurred with Venezuelan oil tanker seizures?
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forces continue to enforce the Trump administration's quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean, carrying out their seventh oil tanker seizure and targeting a vessel tied to Venezuela as the campaign to lock down its oil exports continues. U.S. Southern Command says American forces on Tuesday apprehended the vessel Sajita, quote, without incident. Well, that's good.
But this time they didn't spell out which service carried out the operation. As we've been tracking the interdictions here on the PDB, Coast Guard law enforcement detachment teams are typically involved in the seizures. But in this case, Southern Command tagged both the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps in its post on X.
Regular PDB listeners will know that this campaign stretches back to late last year. The first tanker was intercepted off Venezuela's coast on the 10th of December, and just five days before this operation, U.S. forces seized another sanctioned tanker, the MT Veronica.
Now, most of the vessels have been picked up in or near Venezuelan waters, all but one, that would be the Bella One, which was intercepted in North Atlantic as it attempted to evade American enforcement.
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Chapter 7: How is Washington escalating its sanctions enforcement on Venezuela?
But as for the Sajito, it's a Liberian-flagged tanker owned and managed by a Hong Kong-based company. That's according to ship registration records. The vessel last transmitted its position more than two months ago while departing the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. U.S. officials say it previously transported Venezuelan oil through networks tied to Russia's Shadow Fleet.
That's the criminal system designed to obscure cargo origins and skirt international sanctions. That background matters because the tanker has been under Treasury Department sanctions since 2022 under an executive order tied to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It's also sanctioned by the United Kingdom.
But like many other vessels tied to Venezuelan crew, the ship re-flagged, previously sailing under the Panamanian flag and the name Angelica Schultz. That's just another example of how these vessels move through layers of registration ownership to evade sanctions. Southern Command made clear what this operation was meant to signal.
In its statement, the command said the seizure, quote, demonstrates our resolve to ensure that the only oil leaving Venezuela will be oil that is coordinated properly and lawfully, end quote. The U.S. military also released aerial footage showing the Sajita underway at sea, though unlike earlier videos of seizures, this one didn't show helicopters or boarding teams landing on the deck.
This latest seizure fits into a much larger push underway since Nicolas Maduro's capture in the U.S. raid that took place on the 3rd of January. Since then, the Trump administration has been moving to assert direct control over Venezuela's oil sector.
White House officials describe the tanker seizures not just as an enforcement tool, but also as a way to generate revenue, as Washington works to rebuild Venezuela's degraded oil infrastructure and stabilize an economy hollowed out by years of socialist mismanagement and corruption.
That strategy was on display earlier this month when Trump met with oil industry executives to discuss plans to invest as much as $100 billion in Venezuela's energy sector.
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Chapter 8: What does the seizure of the Sajita tanker signify for U.S.-Venezuela relations?
And just yesterday, speaking at the White House, Trump said the U.S. achieved a goal of removing 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela. Trump said it's being sold on the open market. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Wednesday, the 21st of January. Now, if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, just reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com.
And to listen to the show ad-free, well, you know you can do that. It is really simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. As they say... Easy peasy. I'm Mike Baker. I don't know if they say that still. Maybe they do. Anyway, I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here.
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