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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 9th, 2026: Special Forces Raid Inside Iran? & Man Found Guilty of Iran-Backed Assassination Plot
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It's Monday, the 9th of 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, airstrikes may have crippled Iran's nuclear infrastructure, but eliminating the stockpile of already enriched uranium could prove far more complicated. We'll take a look at new reporting that the US And Israel are weighing special operations missions to secure Iran's uranium later in the show. A federal jury in Brooklyn has found a Pakistani national guilty of plotting to assassinate American politicians, including President Trump, in a scheme backed by Iran. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. One of the big questions hanging over the war with Iran right now isn't just about airstrikes or missile launches. It's about what happens after the bombing stops. Much of the discussion so far is focused on regime change, what Iran's leadership might look like if the current government collapses, and how the country might be governed when the fighting ends. Well, the regime has gone some ways in answering that by declaring they have a new supreme leader. Apparently, they don't see regime change as in the cards. But there's another objective in this campaign that may prove just as complicated. Eliminating Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons while destroying nuclear facilities from the air is an important part of that effort, it's not the same thing as eliminating the nuclear material that already exists. So the next question becomes, how do you actually secure the stockpile of enriched uranium that's held somewhere inside Iran? Well, according to new reporting from Axios, US and Israeli officials are discussing the possibility of. Of sending special operations forces into Iran at a later stage of the conflict to secure the regime's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. And we're not talking about a small amount of material. Before the war began, Iran was believed to possess roughly 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity. That's about half a metric ton. Now, that's not quite weapons grade, which is generally 90%, but it's dangerously Close. With the right equipment, that stockpile could potentially be enriched to 90% in a matter of weeks, enough material for upwards of 11 nuclear weapons. Now, airstrikes have already done serious damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure. US And Israeli attacks targeted key facilities at Natanz and Isfahan and Fordo, destroying centrifuges and in some cases, collapsing or sealing the entrances to underground complexes. But here's the complication. Those strikes may have shut down Iran's enrichment program for now, but they didn't necessarily destroy the uranium itself. Much of that material is believed to be sitting underground, particularly at the nuclear facility in Isfahan, where officials say the bulk of the stockpile was stored inside hardened tunnels. And that creates a strange strategic problem. The uranium may now be trapped beneath rubble or behind closed entrances, but it still exists. Which raises the question, if the goal is to ensure that Iran never turns that material into a weapon, well, someone eventually has to secure it. That's where these discussions about special operations come in. According to U.S. officials, planners have explored the possibility of sending small teams of special operators into Iran once the country's military is no longer capable of mounting serious resistance. These wouldn't be large ground forces or anything resembling a conventional invasion. The teams could potentially include American or Israeli special forces working alongside scientists or technical experts, possibly even personnel from the International Atomic Energy Agency. The mission would be straightforward in theory, but obviously extremely complicated in practice. First, operators would have to locate the material and then secure the site. And then comes the question of what to do with it. One option would be to physically remove the uranium from Iran and transport it out of the country, obviously under tight security. The other possibility would be to dilute the uranium on site, essentially blending it down to a lower level of enrichment so that it could no longer be used in a nuclear weapon. Both options, as you may suspect, present major challenges. Handling highly enriched uranium requires specialized equipment and careful procedures. And any operation would be taking place inside a country that, even if severely weakened, would still technically be an active war zone. Officials involved in the discussions say this scenario would resemble something along the lines of the operation that killed Osama bin Laden or other precision missions carried out by special operations forces. Although, that is, it would appear, oversimplifying the complex nature of this potential operation. The bin Laden raid did not occur in an active war zone, although it was a challenging environment, did not involve accessing material buried underground, did not require a team of scientists on site, and did not involve needing to be on the ground for an extended period of time. The timing, of course, would also be critical. U.S. officials say any such mission would likely only be considered after Iran's air defenses, missile forces and command structures have been significantly degraded. The goal would be to reduce the risk, of course, to the teams involved and ensure Iran couldn't mount an effective response. President Trump has also hinted at that possibility. Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the president said deploying ground forces was not currently on the table, but he also did not rule it out. If we ever did that, he said, they would be so decimated that they would not be able to fight on the ground level, end quote. Well, not to sound negative, but the air campaign won't decimate the Iranian IRGC or armed forces ground strength to a significant degree, and they in all likelihood will have already concentrated forces around their prized nuclear installations. For now, the idea remains one option among many, but it highlights an important reality about this conflict. It's one thing to destroy facilities and degrade a regime's capabilities from the air. It's something else entirely to secure what's left behind on the ground. And when it comes to Iran's existing stockpile of enriched uranium, that final step may eventually require someone to go in and get it. But no one should underestimate just how complicated that scenario could be. Coming up next, a Pakistani national is found guilty in New York of an Iran linked plot to assassinate American political figures, including Donald Trump. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, here is the painful truth, right? We are all getting older. I know who hates to hear that. And sometimes getting older can hit hard, right? I'm talking about joints, skin, recovery time after workouts. You know what I mean? Look, it happens to everyone. And that's where BUBS naturals, collagen peptides come in. BUBS supports joints and hair, skin and even nails. And it's easy to make it part of your daily routine. I just mix it into my morning coffee. There's no taste, there's no sugar, no sweeteners, no fillers. 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is back and the first pitch is on Netflix. The New York Yankees, led by seven time all star Aaron Judge head to the San Francisco Bay to take on Raphael Devers. San Francisco Giants this season kicks off with one exclusive opening night game. Watch MLB Opening Night the New York Yankees vs. The San Francisco Giants live on Netflix. Wednesday, March 25th at 8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific.
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Visit Wells Fargo.com autograph journey terms apply. Welcome back to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. A federal jury in Brooklyn has convicted a Pakistani national in what prosecutors say exposed an Iranian backed plot to assassinate American political leaders, including President Trump. The man at the center of the case is 47 year old Asif Merchant. After a week long trial in federal court, jurors needed less than two hours to find him guilty of attempted terrorism transcending national boundaries as well as murder for hire. He now faces the possibility of life in prison. Beyond the fact that the alleged targets included the president and other American politicians, prosecutors say the case is so severe because of who investigators believe was really behind the plot. Prosecutors told the jury that Merchant's scheme was directed by members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the irgc. And what emerged during the trial offered a rare glimpse into how prosecutors say that kind of operation can take shape. Evidence presented in the courtroom showed Merchant allegedly working to assemble a plan that went far beyond just a single act of violence. Prosecutors say the scheme involved recruiting criminals to steal sensitive government security documents, stage disruptive protests at political rallies, launder money and ultimately assassinate high ranking American political figures. Prosecutors say three names surfaced as targets during those planning conversations. The president, former President Joe Biden, and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Investigators say Merchants motivations were tied to the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani was the commander of Iran's Quds Force and was killed by a US drone strike in 2020 ordered by President Trump during his first administration. According to prosecutors, Merchant became enraged after that strike. Social media posts made by the Pakistani national introduced as evidence showed him praising Solomani in calling for what he described as, quote, severe revenge. And prosecutors say that the relationship that set the plot in motion began several years later. Merchant testified that in 2022, he was recruited by an IRGC official after traveling frequently to Iran. According to his testimony, he received counter surveillance training and instructions to travel to the US and recruit individuals who might be sympathetic to the regime. But what prosecutors say Merchant didn't realize was that the plan would begin to unravel almost as soon as he tried to put it into motion. A Pakistani American acquaintance eventually reported Merchant to authorities and began cooperating with investigators as an informant. That individual secretly recorded a series of conversations with Merchant as the alleged plot developed. And one of those meetings took place inside a hotel in Queens, where prosecutors said Merchant even outlined the assassination plans while sketching elements of the scheme on a napkin. Another meeting happened at a restaurant on Coney Island. During that conversation, prosecutors said Merchant tried to reassure the informant that taking part in the operation would not violate Islamic religious rules. Investigators say the operation reached a critical moment when Merchant provided $5,000 as a down payment for the supposed hitmen who would carry out the assassinations. But those individuals were not criminals nor sympathetic to the regime. They were undercover FBI agents. Authorities arrested Merchant in July of 2024. Prosecutors say the case provides a rare look inside what they describe as Iranian efforts to orchestrate attacks targeting American officials both abroad and inside the U.S. and that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday 9th March. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com to listen to the show ad free. When you can do that, it is very simple. 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.
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