PDB Situation Report | November 15th, 2025: China’s Coming Digital Invasion of Taiwan & Tehran’s Looming Crisis

Summary

Podcast Summary: The President's Daily Brief — "PDB Situation Report | November 15th, 2025: China’s Coming Digital Invasion of Taiwan & Tehran’s Looming Crisis"

Host: Mike Baker
Guests:

• Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery (Senior Director, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation)
• Shaheen Gobadi (National Council of Resistance of Iran Spokesman; Member of Parliament in Exile)
  Date: November 15, 2025
  Duration: ~56 minutes (skipping ads, intros/outros)

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers a high-level intelligence briefing on two urgent global crises:

1. China’s likely cyber-enabled blockade of Taiwan, threatening global supply chains without a military invasion.
2. Iran’s regime-threatening water crisis, stemming from decades of mismanagement and compounded by economic and political instability.

Host Mike Baker interviews Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery on the vulnerabilities and strategic calculus facing Taiwan and the U.S., then turns to Shaheen Gobadi for an inside perspective on the existential crisis confronting Iran's leadership and people.

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Segment 1: China’s “Silent Invasion” of Taiwan (00:08–25:39)

1. China’s Strategy: Cyber-Enabled Economic Chokehold

• Key Insight: Chinese strategy is moving away from outright amphibious invasion and towards economic and cyber warfare—specifically, a blockade of Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports.

  • Quote (Mark Montgomery, 02:14):
    “The actual way that the Chinese Communist Party is going to try to coerce Taiwan is... a cyber-enabled economic warfare campaign... using diplomatic, economic and administrative or lawfare tools enhanced by cyber and influence operations.”

• Taiwan’s Energy Vulnerability

  • Taiwan depends on daily LNG shipments for 50% of its electricity.
  • Taiwan’s storage lasts “just weeks” if imports stop.
  • War game findings: China could interrupt shipments and force Taiwan to choose between basic services (homes, hospitals) and crucial industries (semiconductor plants like TSMC and UMC).
  • Quote (Montgomery, 03:30):
    “If the Chinese Communist Party can figure out... to slow down 15 of these LNG ships over a two-week period, Taiwan will lose 50% of their grid... In every war game we play, they turn off that industrial capacity and make their problem our problem.”

• US Dependency on Taiwanese Chips

  • On-shoring chip production is progressing slowly, covering only “4 or 5%” of US demand.
  • Replicating Taiwan’s semiconductor capacity in the US would require massive investment and a new technical workforce, “a decades-type solution.”
  • Quote (Montgomery, 05:33):
    “To onshore all the legacy and high-end chip capacity from Taiwan would be hundreds of billions if not more, and take years. And I’m not sure we have the workforce to even do the work.”

2. Taiwan’s Abandonment of Nuclear Energy

• After Fukushima, Taiwan shut down almost all nuclear power plants, losing baseload capacity.
• Some reactors might be restorable (10-12% of grid), but would take several years.
• Short-term solutions will require US support.
  • Quote (Montgomery, 06:54):
    “It became a passion play for the DPP... opposed to China but also very pro-green and environmental. So they shut down these power plants. Two of them are probably restorable... but that would take 3 or 4 years.”

3. China’s Timeline and Regime Motivations

• Xi Jinping’s goal: Military ready by 2027, but recently, both Chinese and allied military curves have shifted.
• Kinetic (military) action is unlikely before 2030–2031 due to increased allied readiness post-Ukraine.
• However, a non-kinetic, “gray zone” campaign could begin sooner. 2028 (Taiwanese elections) is likely.
  • Quote (Montgomery, 08:43):
    “If you ask me, what's a kinetic one going to happen, I'd say not before 2030, 2031. But... this [cyber-economic] scenario I could easily see kicking off in 2028.”

4. Mitigating the Threat: What Can the US and Taiwan Do? (17:16–)

• Maritime: US Navy escorts and joint convoy exercises could deter China from interfering with LNG shipments.

  • Practice with Taiwanese and Japanese navies demonstrates commitment.
  • Potential for ship reflagging (as done in 1980s Kuwait crisis).

• Energy Sector: Taiwan must invest in new storage, tankers, and diversify LNG sources (e.g., from Alaska). It should also consider restoring nuclear power.

  • Quote (Montgomery, 18:20):
    “They've got to buy extra stowage, buy their own LNG tankers, diversify, and maximize the United States as a supplier... Also consider restarting those two nuclear plants.”

• Cyber and Influence Operations:

  • Taiwan must harden its cyber defenses and teach the public to resist disinformation.
  • The US and its allies are highly vulnerable to Chinese pre-positioned malware ("Volt Typhoon") in critical infrastructure.
  • Quote (Montgomery, 21:09):
    “This is about our ability to respond to a crisis. China has seeded US infrastructure with their malware... If they planted a thousand backpacks of explosives in our infrastructure, we’d consider it an act of war.”

5. US and Allied Vulnerabilities

• China and Russia are mapping, penetrating, and seeding critical Western infrastructure with malware to hinder military mobilization in a crisis.
• US response has been weak and public awareness is low.
  • Quote (Montgomery, 23:35):
    “In the cyber world, we shrugged our shoulders and moved on. So you ask how vulnerable we are? I say: very vulnerable.”

6. Closing Thoughts

• Taiwan’s democracy and global importance require urgent, broad-spectrum defense.
  • Quote (Montgomery, 25:39):
    "Taiwan is a beautiful, flourishing democracy, practicing capitalism, doing great... what we're talking about is protecting a success."

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Segment 2: Iran's Looming Water Crisis (28:59–56:22)

1. Scale and Causes of the Water Crisis

• Iran, a semi-arid country, faces catastrophic mismanagement, not just drought:

  • 650 dams built in unsuitable locations for profit by IRGC-controlled cartels.
  • Water-intensive factories (petrochemical, steel) are located in arid regions for IRGC profit.
  • Foreknowledge ignored: Strategic studies warned of water shortages 15 years ago, but regime did nothing.
    • Quote (Gobadi, 29:31): “A vast part of the Iranian economy has been handed to IRGC... constructing dams has been very lucrative... This is a culmination of mismanagement, massive corruption, and misguided policies.”

• Tehran’s reservoirs at 11% capacity; other cities worse (Mashad below 3%).

• Quiet water rationing is underway; talk of evacuating Tehran (pop. 10–15 million).

2. Daily Life and Public Sentiment

• Sporadic water outages, compounding frequent power outages.
• Runaway inflation (40–80%); currency has lost 60% of value since last year.
• Public resentment is deep and rising; "just waiting for a spark" to protest.
  • Quote (Gobadi, 33:53): “Even middle class, university-educated people say we simply cannot continue like this... another uprising is simply inevitable.”

3. Political Implications and Prospects for Change

• President Basheskian floated (then quickly censored) the idea of evacuating Tehran.
• Crisis is not just environmental, but systemic: Regime’s priorities are nuclear arms, regional proxy wars, and repression—not public welfare.
• Regime is at a “dead end.” No real solutions because “everything has become political,” tied to survival.
  • Quote (Gobadi, 34:06): “What you are witnessing... is a regime which has run its course... which has run out of its strategic assets.”

4. Will the Iranian Public Revolt?

• Uprisings are cyclical and growing (three major nationwide protests in past seven years, each bigger and broader).
• Regime has suppressed opposition but dissent is deepening; more people arrested on political charges, many on death row.
  • Quote (Gobadi, 36:27): “Each uprising has been bigger, more pervasive, more inclusive... frequency is way telling that the dissent is becoming deep-rooted.”

5. Short-Term Outlook: Any Solution?

• All available regime “solutions” (new infrastructure, external aid) are either unavailable or politically impossible. Layers of crisis (water, power, economic) reinforce each other.
  • Quote (Gobadi, 43:20): “Short of something rather miraculous, I cannot see how they can pull out of this... this is going to be a very, very persevering crisis.”

6. Iran's Military After Recent Conflict

• Despite U.S. and Israeli strikes during the "12-day war" (targeting missiles, nuclear sites), regime remains committed to nuclear/missile programs.

  • Supreme Leader Khamenei views nuclear arms as regime's survival guarantee; no signs of slowing their program.
  • Quote (Gobadi, 47:02): “No doubt that was a setback... But they’ve shown no intention or interest in giving up [nuclear weapons]... their survival depends on continuing the same path.”

• IAEA reporting ongoing noncompliance and lack of transparency from Iran.

7. Regime Change: Is It Possible?

• External military or appeasement policies are dead ends.
• Only real solution: Regime change led by Iranians themselves and their organized resistance.
• Widespread consensus among opposition, and a large upcoming conference (in Washington D.C.) seeks to make regime change a practical, not rhetorical, goal.
  • Quote (Gobadi, 51:19): “The solution is neither appeasement... nor foreign war. The solution is regime change by the Iranian people and the organized resistance... it is feasible, practical, and the Iranian people are ready.”

8. Final Note from Host

• Long-term regional stability and peace are impossible with the current clerical regime in power.

  • Quote (Baker, 54:03): “You’re never going to get long term peace and stability in that region as long as the mullahs and the IRGC are in control... it’s not in their best interest.”

• Gobadi’s closing message: Emphasis on regime change by Iranians, without need for foreign intervention.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “The actual way that the Chinese Communist Party is going to try to coerce Taiwan is... a cyber-enabled economic warfare campaign.”
  – Mark Montgomery, 02:14

• “If the Chinese Communist Party can... slow down 15 of these LNG ships over a two-week period, Taiwan will lose 50% of their grid... In every war game we play, they turn off that industrial capacity and make their problem our problem.”
  – Montgomery, 03:30

• “In the cyber world, we shrugged our shoulders and moved on. So you ask how vulnerable we are? I say: very vulnerable.”
  – Montgomery, 23:35

• “This is a culmination of mismanagement, massive corruption, and misguided policies.”
  – Shaheen Gobadi, 29:31

• “Short of something rather miraculous, I cannot see how they can pull out of this.”
  – Gobadi, 43:20

• “No doubt [the strikes] were a setback... But they’ve shown no intention or interest in giving up [nuclear weapons]... their survival depends on continuing the same path.”
  – Gobadi, 47:02

• “The solution is neither appeasement... nor foreign war. The solution is regime change by the Iranian people and the organized resistance.” – Gobadi, 51:19

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• China’s cyber strategy & Taiwan’s grid vulnerability: 00:08–10:26
• US (in)ability to on-shore chip manufacturing: 05:20–06:38
• Energy/nuclear policy and options for Taiwan: 06:54–08:13
• China’s political calculus and military timeline: 08:43–10:26
• Mitigation/US Response (maritime, energy, cyber): 17:16–23:35
• Iran’s water collapse origins and regime misrule: 28:59–35:32
• Prospects for uprising and regime change: 36:27–40:08, 51:19–56:17
• Iranian military post-conflict posture: 46:26–51:19

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Tone & Style

• Direct, urgent, and informed.
• Military intelligence meets global affairs analysis; practical, not alarmist.
• Realism about strategic challenges; no sugar-coating of vulnerabilities.
• Host keeps the conversation brisk but human (occasional humor, “glass half full” moments).

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Summary

This PDB Situation Report sounds the alarm on two critical crises facing the world: China's evolving strategy for subjugating Taiwan—one based on cyber and economic warfare, not invasion; and Iran's spiraling water crisis, which could lead to regime change, not through war or appeasement, but mass public uprising and organized resistance.

The U.S. and its allies face urgent choices. In Asia, only increased readiness, supply chain diversification, and cyber hardening can stave off disaster. In the Middle East, Iran’s regime is running out of options and time—the solution, say opposition leaders, is to empower the Iranian people and their resistance.

Key takeaway:
Deterrence, resilience, and strategic adaptability are the only defenses against a future in which both China and Iran threaten global security—whether with hacks and blockades or with water shortages and social collapse.

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Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the PDB Situation report. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Beijing's most likely move against Taiwan isn't an amphibious assault, but a slow, silent chokehold on the island's energy lifelines. Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery joins us to break down that scenario later in the show. A crisis of the regime's own making is now threatening the mullah's hold on Iran. With reservoirs on empty and talk of evacuating Tehran, the country is edging toward water collapse. Shaheen Bobadi from the National Council of Resistance of Iran will help us break it down. But first, today's Situation Report Spotlight. We've spent a lot of time here on the show talking about China's potential invasion of Taiwan. But new research Beijing may not need an invasion to break the island. Analysts are now warning that China could cripple Taiwan in a matter of weeks through a cyber enabled energy blockade, cutting off the imported liquefied natural gas that provides nearly half of Taiwan's electricity. Now that would force Taipei into a brutal choice, power for hospitals or power for the semiconductor plants that keep the global economy running war game results suggest the US Is seriously underestimating China's ability to, to squeeze Taiwan without firing a shot. Joining us to break this down is retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, senior director of foundation for the Defense of Democracy's center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, which does not fit easily on a business card. Sir, thank you very much for joining us here today on the SITUATION report.

[B]

Well, thank you for having me today.

[A]

Absolutely. Well, let's, let's start at sort of the 30,000 foot level. You, you've got a very interesting analysis of what that takeover of Taiwan could look like if you could in a nutshell, I know there's a lot to unpack, but if you could give our viewers a sense of, of, of what you're thinking.

[B]

So look, I, I spent a number of years in the Navy as a carrier strike group commander or is and is the, the J3 or head of operations at Indo Paycom thinking about the most dangerous scenario, that cross strait invasion you hear about. And I do think the US Military studies that well and that drives what we buy. But I've increasingly become sure that the actual way that the Chinese Communist Party is going to try to coerce Taiwan is the most likely scenario and that is a cyber enabled economic warfare campaign executed against the Taiwan. You executed against Taiwan using diplomatic, economic and administrative or lawfare kind of tools enhanced by Cyber and influence operations. So that's what I've been looking at.

[A]

Well so, so I mean I, again we, we've looked at this issue in the past on, on the situation report and I will be honest, it's always been sort of that, that narrow focus which is okay, how do you conduct that invasion? You know, what does a blockade look like, you know, dropping troops in on the island. So this is a, this is a completely different approach it seems.

[B]

You're exactly right. It's this look, this is the approach where Xi gets Taiwan. He breaks their societal resilience. So the President Lai or whoever the leader of Taiwan is bends the knee and says look, I'll enter some negotiate once that happens, once they bend the knee a little China's world class and just twisting them into position. We've seen that in Hong Kong, we've seen that in Maau, we've seen that elsewhere. And look, it's not hard to do. That's what scared me about it. We looked at financial services, communications, energy sectors. The energy sector is highly vulnerable. Taiwan has an energy grid. They just got rid of all their nuclear power plants. So their energy grid is 50% LNG, liquefied natural gas, it all is imported. Their coal is also imported, the oil is imported. But that LNG comes on one tanker a day and Taiwan only has weeks of stowage capacity. So if the Chinese Communist Party can figure out through diplomatic, military, economic tools to slow down 15 of these LNG ships over a two week period, Taiwan will be faced with this. They'll lose 50% of their grid and then they'll be faced with a tough decision. Do I turn off power to my homes and my hospitals, my schools, my military, or do I turn off power to my industrial manufacturing? Tsmc, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, umc, their big legacy corporation and the thousands of companies that are secondary tertiary supply chain for that, my gut reaction is they're going to turn off. In every war game we play with the Taiwans, they turn off that industrial capacity and they make their problem our problem.

[A]

Yeah, and, and I correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think we've done a particularly good job of on shoring any of that production capability from Taiwan back to the US or even elsewhere.

[B]

And I, we haven't and I don't think we can realistically. I mean we onshore three with the TSMC investment and our investment to the CHIPS act in, in a plant in Arizona we might onshore 4 or 5% of our dependency on the high End chips, you know, for $50 billion, you know, you can imagine on shoring, all the legacy and high end chip capacity from Taiwan would be hundreds of billions if not more investment in the United, you know, investment would take years. And I'm not sure we have the workforce to even do the work once you build those plants, the technical workforce yet. So it would be a decades type solution. Taiwan's, we just got to treat them like a critical partner. Now there's a good side to this exercising I do, which is we begin to identify how do you mitigate this risk because this is a big risk I just described and there's things we can do in the maritime area, the energy area and the cyber area to reduce this risk to something that's manageable and executable by a president.

[A]

Yeah, just on the surface it sounds like a very heavy lift. And I want to talk to you about, about what that entails in detail. You mentioned, I believe that you said that they stepped away, the Taiwanese, I mean, they stepped away from nuclear power. Why?

[B]

So after Fukushima, the big accident in Japan, they had at that point they were around 20% of their grid was nuclear power in three big reactor complexes, maybe six nuclear reactors. They after Fukushima decided, look, we're equally at risk here from earthquakes, typhoon, tsunamis, we're going to also shut down, we're going to shut down our plans. And it became a passion play for the dpp, the party, the current party in power. So weirdly, it's this party that is both very much opposed to China, but also very pro and green and environmental. And so they shut down these power plants. I think one set of the power plants are probably beyond hope. You know, they were old, they weren't being modernized and they're probably gone. But two of them are probably restorable. They can restore 10 or 12% of the grid, give them some flexibility. But even that would take years, three, four years to do because you have to order this, you know, the reactor fuel and the things years ahead of time and they have not done that. I think they're thinking about that and that will be part of the solution. But that's not the short term. The very short term, one to two to three year solution is going to have to involve the United States.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Now when we talk about timelines, that always seems to pop up in any conversation involving Xi Jinping in Taiwan, any sense of a time frame. I mean, everyone's trying to read Xi's mind, of course, but have you seen anything that from your perspective Says, oh, you know, this could happen within the next three years. This could happen within. Or. Or what does that look like?

[B]

So, you know, G kind of has written in the past, my military must be ready in 2027. That kind of rhymed very closely with what Admiral Phil Davidson, who was in OPACOM a few years after me when he briefed Congress, said that our capability was on this is in 2021. He said our capability was kind of linear, like this Chinese was exponentially catching it and those paths would cross around 2027. In other words, that's when they could execute one. So everyone became fixated on 2027. But one of the things that he didn't say out loud, I know he believed this, is that everyone gets a vote on this. And the US has voted. We have really done some smart stuff since Russia invaded Ukraine. Ironically, Russia invading Ukraine taught us to go fix our munitions problem in the Pacific. And we're actually in much better shape so in munitions in the Pacific because of what we learned after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And Japan has really increased its spending. Since Russia invaded Ukraine. Taiwan's really increased its spending, Australia's increased its spending. So these key partners that are part of this, we've actually become better. And, and at the same time, China had a post Covid burp, burp in their economy. And so I actually think those lines crossed in like 2030 or 2031. So if you ask me, what's a kinetic one going to happen, I'd say not before 2030, 2031. But of course that makes the cyber enabled economic warfare more likely in the near term. So this one I could easily see kicking off in 2028. That's the next time there's an election. In January to February, timeframe of 2028, there's a Taiwan election. So in the build up to that and execution of that, you can see the Chinese do this to kind of teach Taiwan a lesson.

[A]

All right, that's. Yeah, that's right around the corner. There's a lot, there's a lot of questions here to go through, Admiral, but I want to be mindful of our time. If you could stay right there. We've got to take a quick break and then we'll be right back with more from Admiral Montgomery here on the Situation Report. So please stick around. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, we've all seen those scary ads about owing money to the irs. You know what I'm talking about trying to basically frighten you into calling. But let me tell you about a Different kind of company. They're called Tax Relief Advocates. Now if you owe the IRS, whether it's 5,000 or 50,000 or 500,000 TRA, tax relief advocates has solutions to help you resolve your tax problems. The good news is that you can get help anytime. Simply by visiting tra.com they could reduce or even eliminate what you owe. Tra's team is passionate about helping individuals and businesses fix IRS issues. And they have over a thousand five star reviews on Google. Google plus an A plus rating with the Better Business Bureau. Look, you no longer need to be afraid of the irs. Generous programs are available to give you a fresh start and your tax troubles today by visiting tra.com Again, that's T R A dot com tax relief advocates. Real solutions for real people. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment to talk about health, right? And particularly taking care of your health as you get older. Because who doesn't love to talk about aging? But let me tell you something. You know this, I know this. Getting older sneaks up on you, right? Next thing you know, you got stiff joints after workouts, you got thinning hair, maybe your nails are cracking. Oh my God, things are falling apart. But that's why I'm genuinely pumped to tell you about Bubs Naturals collagen peptides. Look, in your 20s or your 30s, even your body makes less collagen. It just happens as you get older. That's what happens. And, but the problem is collagen is the glue that holds everything together. Now BUBS helps restore it, giving you stronger joints, healthier hair, nails, quicker recovery. Quicker recovery is nice, right? That's important. Look, I've been mixing BUBS into my morning coffee. It's tasteless. You don't even know it's there. It dissolves basically like magic. No fuss, no muss, right? And here's something that's important. Seriously. BUBS is a tribute to Navy SEAL hero Glenn Bub Daugherty. Now you probably know his story. He died saving lives in Benghazi. So what they do is they donate 10% of their profits to his foundation and to other important charities. Another good thing about BUBS is if you needed another reason is it's pure, right? Pure ingredients. It's grass fed, no sugars or fillers. Third party tested. NSF certified for sport Whole 30 approved. Come on. It's trusted by over a hundred thousand folks and it's even been named the best collagen of 2024 by health.com and also, look, don't forget, they've got killer electrolytes and MCT creamer, and again, all clean ingredients. So live better, longer. That sounds good, doesn't it? For a limited time only, our listeners are getting 20% off at Bubs Naturals simply by using code PDB at checkout. So just head on over to Bubs, that's b u b s bubsnaturals.com and use code PDB and you're all set. And I tell you what, after you purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. So do me a favor, tell them the PDB said you. Welcome back to the PDB Situation report. Joining us once again is retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, senior director of foundation for the Defense of Democracy, center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. Sir, thank you very much for sticking around. We were talking just in the last segment about the timeline for Xi Jinping. We're a little bit off topic, but it's, it's still in the, in the same general arena. What's your perspective on his hold on power and the, the regime's not, not Xi's, but the regime's perspective on, you know, bringing Taiwan back into the fold? I mean, does the Xi Jinping, I guess what I'm looking for is, is your perspective, perspective on whether Xi Jinping has a support of his regime in the idea of what could be a fairly chaotic event.

[B]

That's a great question. I, I do think he does. He does have support. And I think this is a widely held belief among the Chinese Communist Party leadership that Taiwan needs to be brought back in, that Taiwan needs to be fully unified back into mainland China in their mind, and that that's a given. They may not be as committed as Xi is to it happening while he is secretary general and, you know, and chairman, president of the country, but they are committed to it. But his timeline is very much driven by while I'm this leader and, and that, you know, most of us thought this is a, you know, aging, you know, Chinese leader who had a rough childhood, smoked, you know, how much long is he going to live? Of course, there was this whole morbid discussion he had with Putin about a month ago in China on the World War II ceremony where the two of them are walking along and on a hot mic, they talked about living to 150 by harvesting organs. And we know they, the Chinese, we suspect that they harvest organs from Uyghurs, you know, that are in their camps, concentration camps in western China. So, yes, he may live a little longer than we expect, but I think he's Got to do this cybern economic warfare campaign. If he's going to do it, I think it's in the next couple years. As I said, 2028 is a good year. He will have the support of his leadership, of the rest of the leadership for that. Now that doesn't mean they're thrilled with his arresting, prosecution, jailing, killing of other senior party leaders. But on this specific issue of Taiwan, he has their support.

[A]

Okay, yeah, that, that, that conversation that you, you referenced. But it was, it was like watching Dr. Evil and Lex Luthor, you know, talking. So it was.

[B]

We just needed someone to do this.

[A]

On that hot mic. Yeah. So, you know, God forbid they should both live to 150. But look, I. Let's talk about mitigating the risk of this scenario, right? What can be done in the relative short term? Because if we're talking about 2028, I mean, that is literally right around the corner.

[B]

So as I said, I bucket it in three areas. In maritime, we can do convoy operations. I think if the US Navy says we are going to escort in these LNG ships, that would back the Chinese off. Because it would be very escalatory to like sink a US Navy ship escorting in a liquefied natural gas ship into a Taiwan port to do that. We should just practice it. And by the way, that's deterrence when you practice it and show the Chinese, hey, we're willing to do this. We practice it. We practice it with the Taiwan Navy, we practice it with the Japanese Navy, but we're going to escort these ships in.

[A]

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[B]

We might even reflag them as we did back with Kuwait in the 1980s. So, first of the maritime. And there's some other things you do declare certain maritime transit schemes, information sharing centers, regional coordination centers, all these things that say we are committed to the normal flow of traffic in this area. And that I think helps back off the Chinese. The second area is the LNG and this is the one where that first one was kind of US heavy. This next one is Taiwan heavy. They've got to buy extra stowage, they've got to buy their own LNG tankers, they've got to diversify who provides them their LNG really maximize the United States. So as the United States begins to build a big LNG field in Alaska, the Taiwanese should be investing in it, and they are, but they really have to realign themselves. And then of course you mentioned nuclear power. They should consider restarting those two nuclear power plants. So there's all these energy things they can do to make themselves more secure. And then I give you a third area, cyber influence operations. China's going hard at them just like they're going hard at us. Except, you know, I believe they'll actually go to the next step with, with Taiwan, which is the kind of malware they've been put in. Systems are going to activate. So they've got to be doing a much more aggressive job sanitizing their critical infrastructure, driving Chinese malicious activity out of their systems, and then also teaching their people about misinformation from China. China is running long term campaigns against them. And so that whole bucket of cyber influence operations. So three different areas, three different opportunities. It involves the US And Taiwan principally, but also Japan and Australia.

[A]

Okay, I would, I would say that the, the first two sound like, okay, we should develop a plan, implement these things. The last one, the hardening the cyber defenses and you know, combating PLA or Chinese regime influence campaigns, you would assume those should be well underway. What's your assessment of, of, of the cyber defenses at this stage of the game? Both, you know, for the U. S. Not just to keep it on, on island in Taiwan, but where are we? You remember, I think it was 2015 when, when Xi Jinping stood next to President Obama and said, all right, we're not going to engage in any cyber shenanigans. You caught us. We're going to stop. I mean, of course, here I don't think they did. But what's your assessment about where we stand in cyber security?

[B]

That's, that's good. I'm glad you brought that up because part of this is our ability to respond to a crisis.

[A]

Can we move, can we do our.

[B]

Military mobility, our move, our, you know, all our military stuff through the United States and then overseas. And China has absolutely played an aggressive campaign to make that not happen. It's called Volt Typhoon. That's an advanced persistent threat team. And here's what they do. They put malware or accesses so they can come back at a later time to disrupt or destroy American critical infrastructure. And they concentrated on FBI Director Ray. Former FBI Director Wray said. They concentrated on our plane, our aviation, our rail, our maritime ports, our energy systems, our financial services, the things that allow military mobility and economic prosperity. And I'll give you a great example. If you're moving a tank from Texas to our base in Texas, Fort Hood, to. To Korea, it gets on a rail car on Fort Hood. It's beautiful. They've got two power systems, two comm systems, two water systems. It's a Noah's Ark. And critical infrastructure well protected. And when that train leaves the base, it enters, like, Uncle Rufus's rural rail collective number 55, you know, and Uncle Rufus thinks he's getting paid $50,000 a year to keep that track clear of dead animals. But it's also got a cyber network running on it. And I don't know that Uncle Rufus and Aunt May there really know how to protect. I know they don't know how to protect it. And, you know, the Chinese know this. And in case the Chinese were confused, we literally publish the 20,000 miles of strategic rail network, the 69 strategic airfields, and the 17 strategic sea lift ports that we move our forces through. So China knows where to attack. They know where we're vulnerable, and they've absolutely seeded that infrastructure with their malware or their accesses. And the American response has been kind of a shrug, even after he said it. And I just give you one last thought. If the Chinese had done the same thing with, like, a thousand backpacks full of Semtex, you know, explosive, and hung them in all that infrastructure. And then the FBI director said, look what we found. I think the United States public would have become unglued. I mean, this is a. That's a clear, you know, military. Something that requires some kind of military response. But in the cyber world, we kind of shrugged our shoulders and moved on. So you ask how vulnerable we are, I say very vulnerable.

[A]

It's funny how, you know, what's old is new again, right? During World War II, the Nazis send saboteurs into the US and there was a team specifically targeting Grand Central, because what they wanted to do was disrupt rail operations, moving troops right, for overseas deployment. And so they were. They were busy doing that. Now, obviously, it's, you know, it's. It's cyber attacks on our infrastructure. But I. You know, I'm very glad you're talking about this, because I think if the general public knew how aggressive the Chinese regime and, and the Russians and others who have the capabilities are in poking and prodding and mapping out our critical infrastructure. I think they probably wouldn't sleep at.

[B]

Night, one would think. And you're right to mention Russia. They do the same thing. And in fact, they're doing this mostly in Europe to affect NATO's military mobility. So, yeah, we're seeing this from both of our two main adversaries, China and Russia. So it does make me nervous. And by the way, Taiwan gets the same treatment. So does from China, so does Japan. So I, you know, we're going to be vulnerable all through that supply chain.

[A]

Yeah. Well, I think now, sir, that we've completely bummed out our viewers. Unfortunately, we have run out of time. My wife always says, you know, you should finish on a happy note.

[C]

Right?

[A]

You're always, you're always bringing people down with these, these conversations. But it's important, right? It's, people have to understand, you know, that as much as we'd like to think it's not necessarily a community of nations where we're all holding hands, but the Taiwan issue, I think because of its, I don't want to say immediacy in the sense of next month, but, you know, if we're looking at 20, 28, even 2030, that in, in geopolitical terms is immediate. Sir, I hope that you'll come on back when we we give you a shout because we got a lot more questions for you.

[B]

Well, thank you very much. Here's one quick happy thought. Taiwan is objective, is a beautiful, flourishing democracy, practicing capitalism, doing great. And it's that way because the United States created the conditions for that success. So what we're talking about is protecting a success, and I think that's a.

[A]

Positive way to leave it. Look at that, the admiral glass half full kind of guy. Well, next time when you come on, we'll do a medley of show tunes. So but no, I think it's a great point, which is why it's, it's important for us to be talking about this because of its, its, its importance to US national security and to regional stability. Sir. Admiral Mark Montgomery, thank you again for joining us here on THE SITUATION report. I look forward to the next time.

[C]

All right.

[A]

Coming up next, I have to correct one thing. I don't think the admiral and I will be doing a medley of show tunes the next time he's on, but I do hope he's on again because he's got a lot of insight and experience that he can bring to us. All right. Coming up next, Iran's rulers are facing a crisis of their own making as reservoirs run dry and talk of evacuating the capital, evacuating Tehran grows louder. We'll speak to Shaheen Gobadi, a member of Iran's parliament in exile, about that when we come back. Please stay with us. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment of your time to talk about personal finances. Right. So let me ask you a question. This is, do you owe $10,000 or more in credit card debt or personal loans? Well, let me tell you something. With credit card debt at all time highs, the folks over at Debt Relief Advocates are notifying consumers of debt relief now being made available and designed to aid consumers with out of control credit card debt. So for those who qualify and enroll for this relief program, well, many only have to pay back a fraction of what they owe. Look, it's not a bankruptcy or a debt consolidation loan. This is a relief program that, frankly, credit card companies would rather you not know about. Right. It could end your debt troubles and it could save you a lot of money. Consumers owing at least $10,000 in credit card debt or personal loans can now take advantage of this debt relief as the cost of living continues to rise. So to learn what debt reduction you may qual, simply go online and visit dra.comdra.com Once again, that's dra.com debt relief advocates. Welcome back to the PDB Situation Report. Iran is facing a crisis that could shake the regime to its core, and it's one entirely of its own making. Decades of mismanagement and the worst drought in 60 years have pushed the country toward what experts call water bankruptcy. Reservoirs supplying Tehran, home to 10 million people, are at just 11% capacity. In Mashad, it's even worse, with some dams below 3%. Now, the government has quietly begun rationing water and President Masoud Basheskian has even floated the possibility of evacuating parts of the capital. Officials are downplaying the danger, but the reality on the ground is far more dire and public anger is rising. Joining us to break down what this means for the regime is Shaheen Gobadi, a member of Iran's parliament in exile and the spokesman for the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Sir, thank you very much for joining us here on THE SITUATION report.

[C]

Oh, thanks for having me, Mike. You know, it's an honor to be your show.

[A]

Well, thank you very much and I hope you feel that way at the end of our conversation. So let's let's talk about this because I don't think, I don't think this is an easy one for people to get their heads around. When you talk about a potentially having to evacuate the, the. A city the size of Tehran with some 10 million people because they're out of water. Talk to me about this problem in general.

[C]

Well, I think this is one aspect of the calamity and catastrophe that this regime has imposed on the Iranian people. And this is not because of environmental issues. Iran has always been a semi arid country. But look, in the last 30 some years the regime has constructed or in the middle of constructing 650 dams in a country which is semi arid. And it does not make any sense for anyone who knows anything about environmental issues. The reason for this is that this is all controlled by irgc, which is the Revolutionary Guard Score, which is the main entity that basically keeps the regime at bay. So basically what has happened is that a vast part of the Iranian economy has been handed over to IRDC and they have found this whole issue of constructing dams to be very lucrative, even exporting waters in various forms to be very lucrative, even constructing companies like, you know, petrochemical factories, like steel mills in areas which are already short on water. So you can see what we have is a culmination or actually confluence of mismanagement, massive institutionalized corruption and basically misguided policies of this regime. And I think one acknowledgment by the speaker of the Parliament just yesterday is very telling. He said explicitly that 15 years ago the regime's strategic study institution did a massive study and they established that lack of water is the main shortcoming of Iran in foreseeable future. And that was 15 years ago. And he said we did nothing about this. So you are talking about the regime which has not only neglected the most basic needs of the union people, quite contrary, has devoted all of his resources to pursuing, obtaining nuclear weapons, to propping up proxy groups and repressing Iranian people. And today what's the situation? Everybody already talks about Tehran, which are quite understandable. This is a capital and you said 10 million, which is a conservative estimate. If you consider suburbs of Tehran, we are talking about somewhere 12 to even as high as 15 million people. But this is not only restricted to Tehran. A lot of major cities in Iran face the same situation today. I mean, all over Iran, I mean, are facing the same situation like Shiraz, Isfahan and so many other big cities. So this is a major, major national calamity which is all results of this regime's policies.

[A]

Yeah. And what are you hearing about the, the disruptions to daily life? I mean, what are, what are some of the stories coming out in terms of how this is impacting people's lives?

[C]

You know, basically in some districts of Tehran, people are not having waters for many hours, particularly at night, toward the morning hours. And this obviously makes the life miserable, which has already been miserable for Iranians, as you know. They also suffer from power outages on many hours of the day. And then you compound this with a faltering economy and they run away inflation, and by that I mean somewhere from 40 to 60% annually and on some, most basically stables as high as 80%. And you are talking about a country which, its currency has never been at such a low value that is facing today. It has lost about 60% of its value since last year. So if you add all of this, you can see that this has basically made the population very, very restive and I think just waiting for a spark to pour in the streets again and see massive uprisings. I've seen reports by people mid age, even who are supposed to be middle class, like university people, like engineers, who say that we simply cannot continue like this. And I've seen reports after reports about this, and that's obviously what makes the regime very panicky because they realize that the way things are going, another uprising is simply inevitable.

[A]

Is it true that President Possesskin has has floated the concept of moving the capital, of possibly evacuating Tehran?

[C]

Yes, he said that in a public address and then apparently they took it up from his website and the news was not allowed to be spread. But he said it. But obviously everybody knows that this is simply not a very, very practical idea. Where would you transfer and move 10 to 15 million people? And where are the facilities and where would you take the capital to? So I think basically, Mike, what you are witnessing and what we are witnessing is a regime which has run its course, which has reached its basically final phase, which has run out of its strategic assets. And this is the domestic situation. You see the situation internationally, you see the situation regionally. So basically they have run their course. And every aspect you see it becomes a dead end and a dead end and a dead end. As I said, economy is like this, water is like this, electricity is like this. So. And with no solution in sight, the reason is no solution is that everything has become political. Everything's intertwined with the very existence of this regime. And the regime is a total, total impasse. They either have to make huge strategic decisions to change course, which would mean very quickly end up this regime or continue like this and facing more crisis from all directions.

[A]

What, from your perspective, what would cause the citizens, right, to finally say enough's enough? I mean, can, can they get to that point? I mean, it's often been discussed, right. And we've talked about protests on the streets of Tehran or around the country and there have been. But you could. And this is not the right way to put it, I'm sure, but you know, it usually comes, you know, for not right. There's, there's no end result, right. You just end up with the mullahs in charge and the IRGC maintaining control. I know this is just speculative and, you know, to the nth degree, but what changes the dynamic there eventually?

[C]

Well, I think, Mike, given the audience that watches your very good podcast and listens to it, they fully realize that overthrowing a regime like the one in Tehran is a culmination of a process, especially when it is done by domestic resistance by indigenous forces like National Council of Resistance of Iran and its main member organization, the People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran and its resistance units. And when you are talking about uprising, obviously it's a process, but I think it's very helpful to look at things in a perspective. In the last seven years, there have been three major nationwide uprisings in Iran. Now obviously they have been suppressed, but if you look at each of them, the next one has been bigger, more pervasive, more inclusive, more demanding, including more strata of the society, including more generations. In 2022, you saw, even Gen Zs got involved, as well as middle age and some elderly and people from all over the country. Obviously Iran is a huge country. We had people from 300 cities in all 31 provinces involved in uprising. Obviously the regime responded swiftly, heavy handedly, killing hundreds and you know, sometimes upwards to 1,500 in a matter of few days, arresting tens of thousands. But it has not stopped people from coming back. The frequency and recurrence is way telling that the dissent is becoming deep rooted. And I think what's also important is that the regime is facing a growing organized resistance. And I think that's very important because obviously at the end of the day, you need an organized resistance on the ground that will lead the people to the ultimate result of overthrowing the regime. And that's exactly what is happening. The testament to that is that more and more people are now being arrested on political charges. More and more of them are on death row. Today as we speak, there are 17 people who are on death row basically for their affiliation with the, as I said, Mek. And they're as young as 22 and as old as, you know, 60 something. So in that sense, we are moving in that direction. People of Iran has stated time and again that they want to get rid of this regime. Obviously, the regime has ruled within very, very brutal force. But at the same time, if you look at what has happened since last year, the other pillars that this regime has survived have also been severely beaten. I'm talking about the regime's support for proxy groups, and that has been severely beaten and weakened since last year. The, I think the best case was the overthrow of Assad regime, which was the lynching of the regime's regional strategy. And you saw what happened in the nuclear issue. So basically we are coming to a head where all the pillars that this regime relied on for decades and decades are coming to an end. And as you know, the overthrow of a regime like this comes very quickly. You know, dictators always have this perception that they are in power forever until the final hour and then that they are gone. And you have seen this time and again in history. And I think we are heading to that direction. And so there is no question about people's desire for change. But obviously other factors can help to expedite or to slow down the process. And I think now more and more factors are coming in which indicate we are coming to the finale in a foreseeable future.

[A]

Yeah, you know, I want to revisit the water crisis a little bit more and then I want to branch out, if I could, to talk a little bit about where Iran's military sits now after the 12 day war with Israel and their efforts to rebuild their capabilities. But we have to take a quick break, sir, so if you'll please don't go anywhere. Stay right where you are. We'll be back with more from Shane Gabadi with the National Council of Resistance of Iran right after this quick break, so please stick around. No newspaper is more iconic than the New York Post, so why not start your day with me telling you our best stories? I'm Caitlin Becker, host of the New York Postcast. Every weekday morning, I'll break down the headlines that matter to you and the stories you're going to want to talk to your friends about. It's a mix of politics, business, pop culture, basically everything you expect from the New York Post. Ask your smart speaker to play the NY Postcast podcast, listen and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a second of your time to talk about security, all right? And specifically, let me talk about online security. And let me tell you about a great company out there called Delete Me that's working hard to keep you safe online. Now, Delete Me makes it easy, quick and safe to remove your personal data online at a time when surveillance and data breaches are common enough to make everyone vulnerable. Delete Me sends you regular personalized privacy reports showing what info they found, where they found it, and what they removed with an active online presence. Look, I, I care deeply. I'm like everybody else, right? I care deeply about protecting my personal data. It's important, and I know that Delete Me helps us stay ahead of threats like identity theft and doxing by removing info from data broker sites. This is important stuff. Take control of your data and keep your private life private. By signing up for Delete Me, you can now go at a special discount for our listeners. Just by going to Delete Me, you, you get 20% off when you go to joindeleteme.combrief and use promo code brief at checkout. Again, the only way to get that 20% off, just go to JoinDeleteMe.com Brief and enter code Brief at checkout. Once again, JoinDeleteMe.com Brief code Brief. Welcome back to the PDP Situation Report. Joining me once again is Shaheen Gobadi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Sir, thank you very much for staying with us. And we've been talking about, among other things, we've been talking about this, this looming water disaster, this crisis in Iran.

[B]

And.

[A]

Is there a, is there a short term fix for this? I mean, obviously, if the heavens open up and, you know, rain starts falling, that's, that's one solution. But if the regime isn't willing to open its doors to international community assistance and help, what are the short term solutions that the regime's looking at to try to prevent what could be a massive disaster?

[C]

I simply do not see any short term solutions, to be quite honest, because what we have today is a culmination of decades and decades of mismanagement, massive institutionalized corruption, misguided policies, which has basically plundered all the necessary assets and resources that you have to have to answer people's very basic needs. And this has not been there. And this has been quite contrary. What I mean is that, look, they have built petrochemicals, factories, steel mill factories in places which normally does not make any sense. I mean, you need, you know, water resources for These kind of factories and instead of that they have built them in areas which are already semi arid. And what does it do? It takes away a lot of people's water resources and use them for these factories which are by the way are all owned by irgc. And by the way, a lot of its products are exported outside of Iran to finance irgc. And who pays the price? Obviously the Iranian people. So basically what you are witnessing, as I said, is the consequence of years and years of mismanagement and a very, very clear policy that this regime has pursued. So in short of something rather miraculous, I cannot see how they can, you know, pull out of this. Maybe there could be a short term, I don't know, solution, but this is going to be a very, very persevering crisis. And now as I said, if you add this with the power crisis and you also add this with the falter economy, it all comes down to which direction this regime is willing to take. Is it willing to give up the policies that has led to where we are today and what has been the policies repressing at home pursuing the nuclear weapons program at all costs? And when we are talking about nuclear weapons program, please bear in mind that according to a lot of estimates, the Iranian economy has lost somewhere from 1.5 trillion with a T of upwards to $2 trillion. I mean, because of all the problems that this issue has created for the Iran economy and all the, as I said, shortcomings and sanctions which are all results of the regime's insistence to get the nuclear weapons, the Iranian economy has simply has become bankrupt, as simple as this. So it is not only the issue of water. As I said, if you put the issue of the economy, if you put the issue of power and you and all sorts of other issues together, you can see that the regime is facing basically a confluence of various crisis at the same time from various directions. So if there can be a solution for one of them, the question is what will happen to the others and how could the others be resolved? And I think that's what makes the prospects very, very precarious for the regime. And what I'm saying is all based on very simple basic facts.

[A]

I want to switch gears just slightly following the 12 day war with Israel. And of course the US stepped in to target and strike key nuclear facilities. What's your assessment of Iranian military capability? How successful were those strikes in degrading the capabilities of the Iranian military and also setting back the nuclear program?

[C]

Well, obviously how far the nuclear program was set back is a big question. There are many, many unanswered questions and everybody's assessing and dep. Which assessment one listens. There are all sorts of varied assessment but obviously no doubt that that was a setback and that's not a matter of dispute. But one thing is also very clear. The regime has shown no intention or interest in giving up on this project. There's no intention of even slowing down their hell bent in pursuing to get nuclear weapons and continuing this project. And they have said this very, very explicitly. I mean the regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei has said it time and again that, that you know, he views this as a strategic issue and he's not going to give this up. And also I think another important aspect is the regime's missiles program and they're basically attempt to manufacture as much as possible ballistic missiles. And they have said they will not only try to replenish those that they lost, they try to intensify this because they see this as their only basically weapon of survival. So so far as the intention of this regime is concerned and devoting resources, going back to the previous question of water crisis and other crisis, there's no intention by the regime to slow down. There's no intention to give up, there's no intention to rethinking. They know that their survival depends on continuing the same path. And Ali Khamenei is totally, totally in unfirm belief that this is the only way for the survival because he realizes the moment he retreats in one of these issues, it will start avalanching and it will start roll balling and the regime will start to, you know, being dissolved very, very quickly and quite expeditiously. So he knows that to hold the regime together he has no other choice. So so far as the regime is concerned, they will continue, as I said, going full force to replenish the missiles they lost or they used. And also on the nuclear issue, there's no sign that there will be a change of direction. None whatsoever. All you have to do I think is to read the report that the IAEA just put out yesterday and they will discuss in, in the coming up board of directors IAEA session coming up pretty soon in Vienna that the IAEA says that they have not seen any sign of cooperation by the regime and there are many, many linear questions for them.

[A]

Yeah, it's remarkable that, I mean I think there was, it was probably unwarranted confidence that somehow that the strikes during the course of that 12 day war were going to either deter the Iranian regime from continuing their, their weapons programs or, you know, the immediate aftermath. There was talk about we obliterated, you know, their, their programs. Clearly that wasn't the case, but there seems to have been no real deterrent effect from that. And satellite imagery and other reporting indicates that there has been increased activity at, you know, nuclear facility sites, but also in terms of construction of reconstruction of their missile program. And so I think it, it's fascinating that, you know, it had no real impact on, on the, the direction of the Iranian regime of the mullahs and the irgc, despite the, you know, despite the effectiveness. Look, there was a great deal of destruction. They, they took out a number of missile launchers, very important, destroyed a number of, of missile storage sites, clearly did some damage to the nuclear facilities. But ultimately, at the end of the day, it really didn't move the dial on where that regime is focused.

[C]

I totally agree with you, Mike. And I think that brings us to the big question that this good podcast should address. Look, the Iran challenge still remains a big challenge. Iran has been an enigma for the west as a whole and for US administration after administration, regardless of Democrats or Republicans. And we have maintained as the main resistance movement, the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Actually, Madame Maryam Rajevi, who is the president elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, said 20 some years ago that the solution is neither appeasement. Obviously, everybody realizes that placating the murals was a very, very destructive policy. But we said at the time that foreign war is not also a solution. The solution is a regime change by the Iranian people and the organized resistance. And now this is more tangible than ever. And I think that's time to bring this into the calculus. You see, the biggest missing element on the policy about Iran throughout the whole last four decades was this factor of Iranian people and the organized resistance. The regime pushed for this narrative. They succeeded to great extent. But I think it's time to reevaluate this policy. And that's exactly what Mike is going to be. The issue of a major convention coming up in D.C. this coming Saturday, that for the first time in a unique landmark event, more than 1,000 Iranian academics, activists from all over the United States will come to Washington to discuss about the feasibility of a regime change in Iran. And also as important, I think, is the transition basically to guarantee that they will be smooth and the fact that there's a viable alternative out there in the national consular of Iran that the regime did not want people to hear about. So I think you have touched upon a very important issue. I think the Crux of the matter is that, okay, if appeasement hasn't worked, if military strikes is not the ultimate solution, how could we deal with the regime which is hell bent on continuing its nefarious conduct, which is not limited, obviously inside Iran, but not only the region, but throughout the world? And I think it's time to seriously believe and see that the regime change from within Iran is feasible, it's practical, and Iranian people are ready for it and they have an organized resistance. And I think that is a game changer and that will change the paradigm when it comes to Iran and Iran policy.

[A]

Yeah, I would say that there's no mid or long term peace and stability in the region as long as you've got this regime in place. Right. I mean, they've shown that and they're, they're not embarrassed to talk about it. Whether, you know, through their, their resourcing and funding and training and, and support to their various proxies, you know, whether it's chasing down and targeting dissidents overseas that are speaking out. You know, there's, so how that develops. There's always been this hope in the US and in, you know, the, the Western world that somehow, you know, the citizens of Iran will rise up because that's the ideal solution at the end of the day. But the fact is I won't be shifted off this position. You're never going to get long term peace and stability in that region as long as the mullahs and the IRGC are in control, because it's not what they perceive to be their primary objective or in their best interest. So, sir, I will climb down off my soapbox now, by the way. But listen, we're out of time. I hope you'll come back and join us again on the Situation Report because we very much appreciate your experience, your insight. Shaheen Gobatti of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Listen, thank you for being here. Well, thank you for having me, Mike.

[C]

It has been my pleasure. And I'm sure you will have many good podcasts to come and keep at it. And I'm sure the issue of Iran will come back and again and again and again. And just, I think I totally agree with what you just said that there's not going to be any peace and stability in the region so far as you have this regime. But I think the new idea is regime change by the Iranians, I should emphasize for the Iranians and which does not require boots on the grounds from the US or any foreign country or money or weapons is very much looms on the horizon. I think this is the new message that we have.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, I look forward to the next conversation, sir. Thank you again.

[B]

Thank you.

[C]

Thank you.

[A]

Well, take care. That. That is all the time. There's a lot. There's a lot there. Right. We're talking about an incredibly complex problem. You know, 20 minutes that we have on on the Situation Report. It doesn't do it justice for sure, but it's important, and it's important to get out there and talk about it and think about it. Look, that's all the time we've got for this edition of the Situation Report. I know you can hear the sad trombone in the background, can't you? If you have any questions or comments, maybe even a humorous anecdote, maybe a limerick. I don't know if people do limericks anymore. Just reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com you know what happens. Once a month, a select team of our PDB executives, along with our very talented interns, we all gather together and we choose the best comments and questions and we smush them together into a episode that we call Ask Me Anything. It's true. So keep your cards and letters coming to listen to the podcast of the show ad free. You can do that. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com and if you get the chance, head on over to YouTube and check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel. That's at President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, and until next time, you know the drill. Stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Sam.