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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 10th, 2025: Report: China Is Already Rearming Iran & Putin Turns To Foreigners To Fight In The Russian Military
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Mike Baker
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Unknown
Foreign.
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Mike Baker
It's Thursday, the 10th of July. 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, Iran moves to rebuild military infrastructure destroyed by Israel during the recent 12 day war. And it appears, here's a surprise, that they're getting a big assist from China. Who could have guessed? We'll have those details later in the show. In a bid to avoid another politically explosive draft as the war in Ukraine drags on, Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing foreigners to enlist in the military. You know, I'm starting to think that Putin isn't really interested in peace. It's just a nagging suspicion. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Under the COVID of the current ceasefire between Israel and Iran, the battered Islamic regime is working quickly and to rearm and rebuild their missile defenses. And it appears that their friends in China are lending a major helping hand. According to an exclusive report from the Middle East Eye, China has provided Iran with advanced surface to air missile batteries, or SAMs, over the past two weeks, marking a major expansion of the growing military ties between two of America's top adversaries. But China isn't helping Iran rebuild their defensive capabilities for free. No, it's not a pro bono effort. Arab officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive intelligence, said the mullahs are paying for the missile systems with shipments of sanctioned oil. Seems right. It's worth noting that Iran's illicit oil trade with China is nothing new. As we previously discussed here on the pdp, China is now the dominant buyer of Iranian oil, with Chinese companies purchasing more than 90% of the regime's exports last year. Global sanctions have left the mullahs with few buyers of their crude, and China stepped in to fill the gap in demand, getting the oil at a steep discount when compared to global prices. Typically, however, the ccp, the Chinese Communist Party, buys the oil exclusively in Chinese currency, which forces the Iranians to spend the profits on Chinese goods. Under their new arrangement, however, it appears that China is simply paying for the oil while with advanced military hardware, opening a an alarming new chapter in their alliance. One Arab source told the Middle east ey quote the Iranians engage in creative ways of trading, end quote. The report adds that America's Arab allies are actively tracking the Iranian regime's efforts to, quote, back up and reinforce their air defenses. The White House has also been informed of the arrangement with China and is closely monitoring Tehran's progress. What's not yet clear is how many surface to air missile batteries China has provided to Iran since the fragile truce with Israel was reached back on 24 June. But any assistance will go a long way towards bolstering the regime's capabilities. As PDB listeners are well aware, during the 12 Day War, Israel dealt significant damage to Iran's military hardware, decimating their air defenses, destroying vast stores of Iranian munitions and eliminating roughly 40% of Iran's ballistic missiles launchers. But it's not just missile defenses that the Iranians are after. According to a report from Newsweek, Iran is also seeking to procure China's J10 multirole fighter jets and they're already engaged in high level discussions with the CCP to strike a deal. The Chinese fighter aircraft recently proved themselves in combat during the confrontation between India and Pakistan in May when Pakistan claimed to have used those fighter jets to shoot down several Indian fighters. While China has not directly commented on the discussions, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that they are willing to, quote, share the achievements of its equipment development with friendly countries. That's nice. The reports have also alarmed Israeli officials who called on China to exert pressure on the Iranians to to rein in their military ambitions. The Consul General of Israel in Shanghai said, quote, china is the only one capable of influencing Iran. They can pressure Iran. They can help change its malign activities in the region, end quote. While China certainly has leverage over the Iranian regime, as their oil purchases represent about 6% of Iran's entire economy, don't expect China to necessarily act responsibly. The CCB is already denying the reports about providing the surface to air missile batteries, claiming they firmly oppose the proliferation of such weapons systems and never export arms to countries engaged in warfare. A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy told Israel. The Embassy finds the contents of the report to be incorrect. As a matter of principle, China firmly opposes the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, end quote. Now the spokesman also added that China, quote, maintains strict controls on the export of dual use items. That of course could be considered a well, it's called a laughable statement given their active trade with Russia of dual use technology that's being used in Moscow's war on Ukraine. Despite China's denials, Iran is clearly moving rapidly to rebuild their military infrastructure while a ceasefire with Israel continues to hold. It's clear that significant challenges still lie ahead for the Trump administration when it comes to ensuring that Iran can't once again threaten regional stability. Up next, Vladimir Putin avoids another politically unpopular draft in his country by signing a decree allowing foreigners to enlist in the military. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. I want to take just a few moments to talk about your online security. Look. Right now the headlines are chock full of data breaches and regulatory rollbacks, making us all vulnerable. But here's the thing, you can do something about it. I want you to check out a business called Deleteme. Deleteme is here to make it easy, quick, and safe to remove your personal data online. Deleteme constantly monitors and removes your personal info from data broker sites, sending regular reports so you know exactly what's been found and deleted. Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Delete Me. And now you get a special discount for PDB listeners. Get 20 off your Delete Me plan when you go to DeleteMe.combrief. that's B R I E F and use promo code brief at checkout. Again, the only way to get that 20 off is to go to DeleteMe.combrief and enter the code brief at checkout. 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Miranda Devine
Power, Politics and the People behind the Headlines I'm Miranda Devine, New York Post columnist and the host of the brand new podcast Podforce One. Every week I'll sit down for candid conversations with Washington's most powerful disruptors, lawmakers, newsmakers, and even the President of the United States. These are the leaders shaping the future of America and the world. Listen to Podforce One with me, Miranda Devine every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. You don't want to miss an episode.
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Bill O'Reilly
Hey, Bill O'Reilly here, host of the no Spin News corporate media programs. They're often lazy and dishonest. You know that the podcast world filled with misleading bomb throwers masking important issues that directly impact you. The no Spin News is here to counteract that we are a fact based, honest and un affiliated broadcast. Our purpose is to inform you and give the best assessment of the situation, whether it's political or cultural. Please listen to the no Spin News with me, Bill O'Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found. Remember, trust is earned.
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Mike Baker
Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. In a move that signals Moscow's desire to avoid pissing off the Russian population with too many drafts or conscriptions, Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed a decree expanding military enlistment to include foreigners. Well, how magnanimous of Putin. He's giving foreigners the opportunity to take part in his meat grinder invasion. What a fella. Until now, non Russians could only join during states of emergency or martial law, conditions that officially still don't exist despite the three and a half years of full scale war. You have to remember, Putin and his minions still refer to that war as a special military operation. But under the new rules, foreign nationals can now enlist during any mobilization period, giving the Kremlin a possible way to pad its ranks without triggering another domestic meltdown like the one that took place in 2022. That 2022 order sparked a stampede for the border, with over 261,000 Russians fleeing the country in just a few weeks. Instead, this latest decree allows the Kremlin to stock up on international manpower while maintaining a facade of business as usual at home. Now it doesn't stop with the military. The decree also opens the door for foreigners who've surpassed the typical military age limit to sign contracts with Russia's most sensitive security agencies, namely the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Federal Security Service. All of it adds up to a strategy aimed at keeping the war machine humming without causing another run for the borders by Russians not overly keen to participate in Putin's military adventures. Now, that doesn't mean that the Kremlin isn't still in the business of drafting their own citizens. They're just doing it in smaller doses. Back in March, Russia held its spring draft, conscripting 160,000 men in what was widely seen as an attempt to bolster the ranks while avoiding the optics of a full blown mobilization. Meanwhile, quieter recruitment drives have continued in parallel, especially among foreign nationals. According to a UK Ministry of Defense intelligence update, more than 1500 foreigners signed up between April 2023 and May of 2024. Of those, over 770 hailed from south and East Asia, with others drawn from former Soviet republics and various African nations. Many were enticed with signing bonuses and promises of fast tracked Russian citizenship. The UK report revealed the tactic would likely continue, quote, over the medium term. But British analysts were quick to note the obvious. The numbers are still small. And this won't dramatically change the face of Russia's fighting force. Not while the Kremlin is simultaneously accelerating traditional enlistment to support its grinding summer offensive. According to Kev's general staff, Russia has lost more than 1 million troops killed or wounded since the invasion began. In the current tempo, well, about 1,000 Russian casualties per day as Moscow attempts to punch through entrenched Ukrainian defenses along the front line. So while the Kremlin touts its expanded enlistment policies, the reality is somewhat starker as Russia appears to be scraping the barrel for new conscripts and it's now looking abroad for assistance. Of course, we didn't even mention the thousands of North Korean soldiers sent by little rocket man to serve as cannon fodder in Putin's ongoing invasion. As we've reported, Pyongyang sent upwards of 12,000 troops in the initial deployments, and intel reports indicate that at least half of those troops are now casualties of the war. And during the past week, reports surfaced that North Korea may be sending some 30,000 additional troops as Moscow continues its sputtering summer offensive. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Thursday 10th July. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com and of course, as you've no doubt seen on billboards all around town, to listen to the show ad free, just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. i'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.