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The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 17th, 2026: Iran’s De-Facto Leader Killed & Ecuador Declares War on Cartels
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5:00am I'm up with a crisp Celsius energy drink running 12 miles today. Grab a green juice, quick change and head to work. Meetings, workshops, one more Celsius. No slowing down. Working late, but obviously still meeting the girls for a little dancing. Celsius Live Fit. Go grab a cold refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate now@celsius.com. Foreign.
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17 March 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 there are preliminary reports that Israel has killed one of Iran's most senior leaders, Ali Laranjani, in a major overnight strike. We'll break down who he was, why he mattered, he and what his reported death, if confirmed, means for the regime's grip on power. Later in the show, Ecuador launches a massive US Backed crackdown on drug cartels, deploying tens of thousands of troops and locking down key coastal regions. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We're getting new and still unconfirmed reports that one of the most powerful men in Iran may have been killed in an Israeli strike. According to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, overnight airstrikes killed Ali Laranjani, the regime's top national security figure and effectively the man running the country since the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the outset of the war. Now, as of this hour, Iran has not confirmed Dharajani's death. And complicating things further, a message attributed to him surfaced on social media Tuesday morning. Of course, that doesn't mean he's alive, as he likely has a team running his social media. It does, however, create confusion. But if the early reports are confirmed, it would mark one of the most significant decapitation strikes since the start of the war, second only to the one that took out Supreme Leader Khamenei and dozens of other senior officials on the opening day. Because Laranjani wasn't just another senior official, over the past several months, he's emerged as the central figure of power inside Iran. Back in January, the regime, under pressure from protests at home and the threat of a US Military action abroad, Khamenei turned to Larajani, a longtime loyalist, former Revolutionary Guard commander and seasoned political operator, to try and steady the ship. And from that moment on, Larani's role expanded dramatically. He wasn't just advising, he was running things. He oversaw the regime's brutal crackdown on protests, the killing of thousands of Iranian citizens, and detention of tens of thousands More, he coordinated with allies like Russia, engaged regional players like Qatar and Oman, and even took part in nuclear negotiations, such as they were with Washington. At the same time, Iran's elected President, Masoud Bezechian was largely sidelined at one point, even admitting publicly that major decisions had to go through Lara Johnny. Behind the scenes, he was also tasked with preparing Iran for exactly this scenario, war with the US And Israel that included contingency planning for leadership succession, maintaining internal control through security forces, and ensuring the regime could survive even if top leadership, including Khamenei himself, were killed. So to say Larajani was powerful might be an understatement. He was central to the system. At the same time, Israeli strikes appear to have dealt a major blow to one of the regime's most important enforcement arms. That would be the besieged militia. Also reportedly killed last night was General Golam Reza Soleimani. Now, he was a senior officer in the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the irgc, and the commander of the paramilitary Basij forces. The Iranian regime has now confirmed Soleimani's death. In addition to the killing of Soleimani, overnight strikes may have inflicted heavy losses on the force itself, with as many as 300 besieged members, including senior commanders and operational leaders, including, killed in coordinated attacks on command centers and infrastructure across Iran. Among the targets, logistics hubs, vehicle depots used for street patrols, and key security units tied to the Revolutionary Guard in Tehran. For some context, Basij is the regime's internal muscle. The force used to put down protests to enforce control and maintain order in moments of unrest. And if these reports hold, their command and control structure may have taken a significant hit. So, stepping back, what does all this mean? Well, if Laureni is in fact dead, that raises serious questions about continuity of command, decision making during wartime, and whether factions inside the regime begin competing for control at the same time. Degrading the besieged militia could weaken the regime's ability to suppress unrest at home. But there's also a flip side. History shows that leadership decapitation doesn't always lead to collapse. In some cases, it hardens resolve, accelerates retaliation, and pushes regimes into even more aggressive postures. And we're already seeing some signs of that. Iran has continued targeting energy and transport infrastructure in the region in the Gulf, raising fears of a prolonged conflict with global consequences, particularly, as we know, for oil markets and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Okay, next up, 75,000 troops hit the streets in Ecuador as part of a US Backed campaign targeting cartel strongholds. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. This episode is brought to you by Pocket Hose, the world's number one expandable hose. Now, if you know anything about hoses, you know that old school hoses always kink at the spigot, right? And nobody, nobody wants a kink at the spigot, am I right? But the brand new pocket hose Copperhead with pocket pivot is a total game changer. The pocket pivot swivels 360 degrees for great water flow and easy movement around the yard. And when you're done, well, this rustproof anti burst hose shrinks back to pocket size. It's lightweight, easy to handle. No wrestling it onto a hook. 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The operations are tied to President Trump's broader regional push, which was announced at the Shield of America summit just a couple weeks back. The initiative consists of a 17 country counter cartel coalition assembled to coordinate military operations, share intelligence and directly target narco terror networks. Ecuadorian authorities have now pushed roughly 75,000 soldiers and police officers into some of the country's most dangerous provinces, all of which are on the coast. These are areas that have effectively become strongholds for cartels and essential corridors for moving drugs. And the Ecuadorian government isn't just flooding those areas with manpower, they're essentially locking them down. As of this week, strict curfews are in place in four coastal provinces from 11pm to 5am and officials in Quito say over 250 people have already been arrested for violating those restrictions. In other words, authorities are actively trying to assert control over territory that's long been in the hands of criminal networks. Ecuador's Interior Minister, John Reinberg made the operation's primary objective to clear in blunt terms, declaring, quote, we are at war, warning civilians not to obstruct government forces and to stay home during curfew. But the message to the cartels is even more direct. Reinberg wrote in a social media post, quote, to the mafias, your time is up. Nothing can stop us. End quote. As for the crackdown, it's being carried out under emergency powers recently extended by Ecuadorian President Daniel Maboa, giving the military authority to conduct joint patrols with police and even enter homes without a warrant. The US Is playing a key supporting role, providing intelligence, logistical support and coordination. Though it remains unclear whether American forces will directly participate on Ecuadorian soil during these next two weeks, that move would not be unprecedented. Earlier this month, we discussed US And Ecuadorian forces carrying out joint military operations against organized crime groups, which U.S. southern Command described as a, quote, powerful example of regional cooperation against narco terrorism. And Washington's footprint may expand even further. Last Week, the FBI announced it will open an office in Ecuador to investigate organized crime, money laundering and corruption, another signal of how deeply Washington is becoming involved in Quito's anti cartel campaign. So you ask, why now? Why this level of force? Well, it's because Ecuador is facing a surge in violence driven by rival cartels battling for control of key coastal ports used to move cocaine toward the U.S. despite Noboa's aggressive security policies, violence tied to cartels and or drug related murders remains high. Last year, Ecuador recorded a homicide rate of roughly 50 per 100,000 residents, which was its highest in decades. Officials say the homicide rate has quintupled. As we know, that's five times since the COVID 19 pandemic as cartels from Colombia and Mexico fight over trafficking routes and partner with local gangs. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday 17th March. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the firsttv.com and to listen to the show ad free. Well, you can do that. It is very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting pdbpremium.com I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. 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