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The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 13th, 2025: Iran's Underground Missile Cities & Gaza Ceasefire Breakthrough
00:13:46
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- [00:12]
Mike Baker
It's Monday, the 13th of January. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. As you've probably heard by now from family and friends, or maybe you heard it during a recent White House press conference, I'll be in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and Jordan starting tomorrow until the 7th of February. Five of us from the UK Special Forces Club are setting off on an epic trek to raise awareness for the UK Special Forces Benevolent Fund. The fund works to take care of United Kingdom military and veterans and their families during times of need. Five riders, 10 camels and an amazing support team. It's a 700 mile journey through the deserts of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, retracing the 1917 route of Lawrence of Arabia and a small Arab army crossing what was considered the uncrossable desert. Now, I'll be providing updates on our progress whenever we have decent comms, but fear not, during my absence, the esteemed Mike Slater will be filling in for me to ensure that the PDB keeps you informed every day. I'll be back on the 8th of February, assuming we make it. All right, let's get briefed. An update out of Iran, where the Islamic regime recently released footage of so called underground missile cities and claimed they're ramping up weapons production as they prepare for the imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House. Later in the show, we'll have the latest on the elusive ceasefire in Gaza as mediators report a potential breakthrough in negotiations that could see a deal finalized as early as this week. Now, there have been a lot of false starts and dashed hopes during the course of past negotiations, so let's hope a deal is finally reached. But first, I want to begin with Iran, where the Islamic regime is putting on a show of force for Israel and the US conducting a series of war games and bragging about their vast offensive missile capabilities ahead of the return of Donald Trump to the Oval Office. Over the weekend, officials with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the irgc, unveiled footage of what they called an underground missile city, claiming they're ramping up weapons production and manufacturing, quote, new special missiles, according to a report from the Times of Israel. The footage show the IRGC commander in chief touring the vast underground complex through tunnels large enough to host fleets of trucks and multiple missile production areas. Now, the base was reportedly used in the Iranian missile attacks against Israel in April and October of this past year. And officials said the footage released showed off just 10% of the underground complex. Officials described the site as a, quote, dormant volcano warning, quote, the volcano lying under these mountains can erupt in the shortest time possible, end quote. Well, how poetic. In the footage, the IRGC chief dismissed claims that the Iranian military has been catastrophically weakened by its proxy war with Israel and the fall of Syrian dictator Assad. And they describe that as just enemy propaganda. He said in reality, the regime currently has more missiles that it's able to store. Okay, sure, pal. Apparently they've had to rent out several self storage units. The IRGC leader said, quote, maybe the enemy thought that our production power has stagnated, but the growth rate of our missile power is rising, end quote. The saber rattling came as the regime held a series of air defense exercises on Saturday involving some 110,000 members of its volunteer forces in the capital city of Tehran. The exercises reportedly drilled their responses to air, missile and electronic warfare threats in real battlefield conditions. The drills are part of two months of exercises launched by the regime on 4 January, which have already included war games involving the IRGC defending a key nuclear installation in Natanz against mock attacks by missiles and drones. On Monday, Iranian officials said new drills and war games slated for later this month would reveal additional missile and drone cities, including underground sites in the south of Iran. Iranian leaders are said to be readying for the possibility that President Elect Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu may partner to attack Iran's nuclear sites after the 20 January inauguration, recently discussed on the PDB. Trump is mulling scenarios where the US could either support an Israeli military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities or mount their own preemptive strikes on the sites. Still, it remains unclear what Trump's preferred path forward is. Despite speculation regarding a potential strike on Iran, other sources close to Trump have said he'll likely attempt to strike a new nuclear agreement with Tehran before turning to military options. Regardless, Trump is reportedly preparing a return to the, quote, maximum pressure campaign against Iran since seen during his first term transition. Sources have said it'll begin by drastically increasing sanctions on the regime, particularly those aimed at their oil exports, as part of a broader strategy to choke off Iran's financial and military support of terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East. Coming up next, we'll have the latest on ceasefire talks in Gaza as mediators report a potential breakthrough in negotiations that could see a deal finalized as early as this week. I'll be right back.
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Tucker Carlson
Hey, it's Tucker Carlson. It was five years ago this month that people started to drop dead in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. Five years since the beginning of COVID Tens of millions dead, societies reordered completely, economies destroyed. And yet for some reason, we still don't know answers to the most basic questions. And one man knows those answers. He his name is Dr. Tony Fauci. And now a documentary filmmaker called Jenner first is out with a new film explaining exactly what happened. The film was called thank you Dr. Fauci. We are proud to host that documentary here on TCN from December 20th to January 19th. You will see it exclusively here on Tucker Carlson.com Again it's called thank you Dr. Fauci and it's worth It.
- [06:42]
Mike Baker
Welcome back to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I want to provide an update on the Israel Hamas negotiations as a midnight breakthrough led mediators to present a final draft agreement, potentially paving the way to end the war, at least for a period of time. In Gaza. The proposal follows months of diplomatic wrangling by the us, Qatar and Egypt, as well as by President Elect Trump's transition team, according to officials involved in the negotiations. The draft delivered in Doha outlines terms for a ceasefire and hostage release, marking substantial progress in the discussions. The officials stated, quote, the next 24 hours will be pivotal to reaching a deal, end quote. Gutter's prime minister facilitated the talks early Monday, bringing together high ranking Israeli officials, including the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet. Trump's US Envoy, Steve Witkoff has been also a central figure in negotiations traveling between Doha and Jerusalem to narrow the gap of agreement between the parties. While optimism surrounds the latest developments, several roadblocks remain. Hamas officials told CNN that they now demand an Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphia corridor. That's a nine mile long strip of land along the Gaza and Egypt border. Hamas is pressing for a permanent ceasefire, whereas Israel hesitated to commit beyond a temporary halt to hostilities. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu previously vowed to fight until achieving, quote, total victory. According to cnn. Disagreements also persist over the size of a proposed buffer zone inside Gaza along the strip's eastern and northern borders, adding further complexity. Of course, Hamas insists on reverting to pre7October dimensions of 300 to 545 yards. Meanwhile, Israel's counter proposal pushes for an expansion to 2,200 yards, citing security concerns from the 7 October terror attacks, when of course the buffer zones provided no protection. 20 January Inauguration of President Elect Trump adds urgency to negotiations, with many in the region viewing it as a de facto deadline. Trump last week issued a warning to Hamas stating if those hostages aren't back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle east. End quote his envoy, Witkoff, reportedly pressed Israeli negotiators in Doha to finalize the agreement before the transition of power. Outgoing President Biden, remember him, also prioritized the talks, aiming to secure a ceasefire as a diplomatic legacy before departing office. Biden emphasized the urgency during a call with Netanyahu on Sunday stressing, quote, the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages. With a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting, end quote. The Biden administration remains optimistic about an impending deal, with White House national Security Adviser Jake Sullivan telling Bloomberg News earlier today that an agreement could be reached as early as this week. Well, not to be churlish or cynical, but the Biden White House has been optimistic about every failed potential deal since negotiations started last year. And at this point, you'd think they'd keep their powder dry and simply say they're working on it and are hoping for the best as the negotiations enter a critical phase. Time is limited for a resolution before the change in U.S. leadership. Officials close to the negotiations describe the coming hours and days as pivotal for securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages as international pressure mounts to finalize an agreement. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Monday 13th January. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me@pdbhefirsttv.com and remember, Mike Slater will be guest hosting during my absence starting tomorrow, Tuesday the 14th of January. I know the PDB community is in very good hands while I wander in the desert. And if you'd like to learn more about the trek and our cause, the UK Special Forces Benevolent Fund, please go to their website. Look at me with a prop, huh? How about that? Thank you, PDB Prop Department. That's www.sfcbf.org for more information. You can also follow along by checking out the Trex, Instagram, Facebook and other social media sites. Just search SFCBF Trek. That's it. Couldn't be simpler. I'm Mike Baker and until early February when we reach Aqaba, please stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.