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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 13th, 2026: Trump Speaks Directly To Iran’s Protesters As Crackdown Grows
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It's Tuesday, the 13th of January. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First up, President Trump issues a statement directly to Iranian protesters who urging them to keep up the fight and promising help is on its way. We'll have the details later in the show. Ukraine continues efforts to degrade Russia's energy infrastructure and primary revenue stream, with Kyiv's forces hitting Russian oil platforms in territory that was once considered safe by Moscow. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. After watching Iran's leadership answer mass demonstrations across the country with bullets and communications blackouts, President Trump has a message for Iran's protesters, telling them to stay on the streets and promising that help is on its way. Trump's statement came as Iranian authorities themselves acknowledge that roughly 2,000 people have been killed in mass demonstrations since late December. And when the regime says the number is 2,000, well, it's highly likely that the number is higher. Iran International, a Persian language television channel based in the UK has put the death toll closer to 12,000. Still, because of the regime's communications blackout, it's impossible to know for sure. Iran's Internet shutdown has now stretched beyond 100 hours, making any figure difficult, if not impossible, to independently verify. In a message posted to Truth Social this morning, Trump wrote, quote, iranian patriots keep protesting. Take over your institutions. He urged demonstrators to document those responsible for violence, adding, quote, save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. The president closed out his post telling the Iranian people that, quote, help is on its way. Now, if you're wondering what help ultimately looks like, well, that's the big question. And it remains unclear President Trump is expected to review options with his national security team today. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt told reporters yesterday that airstrikes were among the, quote, many, many options that the president is considering, though she added that diplomacy remains the preferred first step. That said, the window for diplomacy may be closing rapidly, if it hasn't already. President Trump also said he's canceled all meetings with Iranian officials, quote, until the senseless killing of protesters stops, effectively freezing the diplomatic track that he had previously left open. This all comes just hours after the president announced new secondary sanctions on the regime in response to its crackdown on demonstrators. In a Truth Social post last night, President Trump wrote, quote, effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the U.S. he called the order conclusive but offered no details on how the policy would be implemented or enforced or whether it would apply uniformly to all of Iran's trading partners. It puts Iran's trading partners on notice, forcing them to reassess their exposure and decide whether continued trade with Tehran is worth risking access to US Markets. What happens next, of course, will depend on how Iran's leadership responds not just to the protesters in the streets, but to the mounting pressure outside its borders. For now, the message from Washington is clear. The regime's options are narrowing, its partners are being forced to choose sides, and the cost of continuing their violent crackdown is rising by the hour. And there's one other factor that Iran's leadership will be weighing carefully. When President Trump issues public warnings like this, he has a recent track record of backing them up, often in ways that move quickly and catch adversaries off guard. Whether that follow through comes diplomatically, economically or militarily remains to be seen. But the regime has a reason to take the warning seriously. Now, there's no doubt that Trump's social media comments have an impact on the protesters out in the streets across Iran, particularly as talk of red lines against the regime or comments like help is on its way. The truth is, in past years when protests have broken out in Iran, the US Response has landed somewhere between tepid and non existent. There's been the usual declarations, of course, of support for freedom and democracy, but nothing of any substance. And the protests inevitably were put down by a repressive and violent regime that correctly interpreted that the international community would do nothing meaningful to support the protesters. But now, this time, the protesters are feeling emboldened both by the scope and duration of the protests and a White House that posts quote, help is on its way. A White house that just six months ago attacked the regime during the 12 day war. The problem will be if the only help turns out to be diplomatic negotiations and memos, maybe some additional sanctions. Well then the Iranian opposition, despite thousands reportedly now dead at the hands of the Iranian military and police and militias, will be looking at the same result as in the past. A regime that successfully is able to create crush another popular uprising and an international community that will self righteously decry violence and congratulate itself for a diplomatic resolution that leaves the regime in place. All right, coming up next, Ukraine continues efforts to attack Russia's oil revenues, launching strikes on Russian energy infrastructure in the Caspian Sea to squeeze Moscow's war economy. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, you probably know me as the host of the pdb. Of course. But did you know I'm also a hygiene expert? Okay, maybe. Maybe expert is gilding the lily here a little bit. Let's just say I'm a hygiene savant. How's that sound? Which is why I want to tell you about Mando Whole Body Deodorant. Now, have you heard about Mando? It's safe anywhere. You can use it on your pits, your thighs, your feet, even hard to reach areas in case you've got any of those. It's doctor created and clinically proven to block odor up to 72 hours. Get that? Come on. 72 hours? I think if I'm not mistaken, that's like three days. It's baking soda, aluminum or aluminum free. And paraben free. They've got multiple scents and it comes in glide on stick or spray. 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Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. The Caspian Sea isn't a place that we usually associate with the war in Ukraine. It sits far from the front lines, far from the daily artillery exchanges and drone battles that have come to define much of this conflict. And for Moscow, that distance has long translated into safety territory out of reach and not impacted by Putin's invasion. But that assumption is starting to collapse. In recent days, Ukrainian forces carried out strikes against multiple Russian oil platforms in the Caspian Sea, facilities operated by Lukoil and tied directly to Russia's energy production and logistics network, a deliberate effort to disrupt Russia's ability to fuel both its economy and its military. Ukraine struck a Russian Caspian oil platform for the first time back in December. When we reported on that strike, it was notable precisely because it was unprecedented. A single strike deep in what Moscow considered a secure energy zone. Now, weeks later, Ukrainian special forces are reportedly hitting multiple platforms in the same region. What matters here, of course, is geography. The Caspian Sea is hundreds of miles from Ukrainian territory. It's not adjacent to contested zones. It's an area Russia has basically treated as insulated from the war, a place where energy production could continue largely uninterrupted, feeding both export revenue and domestic fuel needs. These platforms aren't just oil rigs. They support production and storage and transport systems that help keep Russian refineries running and military supply chains fueled. Now, while the Full extent of the damage remains unclear. The targeting fits into a broader Ukrainian strategy that has been building over time. When Ukraine lacks the ability to match Russia tank for tank, or soldier for soldier, or missile for missile, it leans into asymmetrical warfare. Drones, special forces and long range strikes allow Kyiv to target what Russia values most. Revenue, logistics, and the morale and general mood of the Russian population. We've seen this pattern before. Russian refineries deep inside the country, fuel depots far from Ukraine's borders, shadow fleet tankers linked to sanctions evasion, and now offshore energy infrastructure in the Caspian Sea. There's also a psychological component here. Every strike like this forces Moscow to redraw its defense map. Assets once considered safe now require protection. Resources get diverted, Insurance costs rise, production schedules get disrupted. None of this, of course, wins the war for Ukraine overnight, but it steadily increases the cost of continuing it for Putin. At the same time, these strikes aren't without risk. The Caspian is a complicated region intertwined with international energy markets and regional partners. Offshore platforms aren't isolated targets in a vacuum. They sit inside a web of diplomatic, commercial and political relationships. Kyiv understands that, which is why these operations appear calibrated, limited, precise and focused on Russian controlled assets tied directly to the war effort. The bigger takeaway here isn't that Ukraine has discovered a brand new playbook. It's that an existing strategy is apparently maturing. Ukraine is increasingly comfortable projecting force far from the front lines, using tools that allow it to strike deep without massed formations or air superiority. For Russia, the Caspian Sea was supposed to be safe. It no longer is. And if Russian energy infrastructure could be targeted there, then nowhere tied to Moscow's war economy can be assumed off limits. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday 13 January. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the firsttv.com and of course, to listen to the show ad free. Well, you can do that. It is very simple. 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