March 31st, 2025: Inside Iran’s Underground ‘Missile City’ & Syria Unveils Surprising New Government
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It's Monday, the 31st of March. Well, look at that. We've survived another month. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. And also look at that. I'm not on the road. I'm back off the road for once. And in the Idaho compound. Good to be home. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off today with a show of force from the Iranian regime. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC,

has just unveiled a sprawling underground missile base packed with weapons capable of reaching across the region and beyond. We'll look at what their saber-rattling means and why one design flaw could be Iran's biggest vulnerability.

Later in the show, Hamas says it's ready to release five hostages, including an American-Israeli, in a new Egyptian-brokered deal for a temporary ceasefire. Plus, Syria's new president unveils a surprisingly diverse transitional government, marking a key step away from Assad-era rule and toward renewed ties with the West. Given the recent rise in sectarian violence in Syria, this is an important step by the current interim leadership.

And in today's back of the brief, U.S. forces strike ISIS targets, remember ISIS? In Somalia, taking out several militants in a coordinated operation with the Somali government. But first, today's PDB Spotlight.

Iran is flexing its military muscle as the pressure from Washington continues to ramp up. In the latest move meant to showcase defiance, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, has released video footage of what they're calling Missile City, which of course is different from Paradise City, a great gunner's tune, not to mention Big City, a classic from Merle Haggard. I doubt the mullahs have listened to either, but I digress.

The 85-second video, initially published by Iranian state media, shows a vast network of underground tunnels. The exact location is unknown, but it's likely carved into the mountainous terrain of western Iran. The facility holds thousands of precision-guided ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges that seem to stretch from 850 to 1,550 miles.

For reference, those missiles are capable of heading deep into Israel, across the Gulf to U.S. bases in Qatar and Bahrain, and even brushing southern Europe's edges like Greece or Italy.

Two of Iran's top military leaders are seen touring the site, boasting that Iran's military power is now, quote, 10 times stronger than it was in 2024. Now, it's worth noting that there's a glaring design flaw in Iran's missile city, at least the one showcased in the most recent video.

Those tunnels appear to lack blast doors or separated compartments, and the missiles are stored out in the open, stacked one on top of the other. Well, that all sounds safe. It doesn't take a genius, of course, or a rocket scientist, to realize that a single penetrating strike, say from a bunker buster from a USB-2, could trigger a chain reaction and possibly destroy the whole site.

I'm sure that military planners in Washington and Tel Aviv have clocked that vulnerability, and it's a safe bet that they're gaming out options as we speak, perhaps even discussing it on a group text chat.

This is the third such missile base that Iran has unveiled in 2025 alone, part of what analysts say is a broader effort by the Iranian regime to show it won't be intimidated by the U.S. or its allies. Now, if you're a regular PDB listener, and I certainly hope that you are, you'll know that the timing of this reveal is no accident. It comes just weeks after President Trump issued a clear ultimatum to Iran, dismantle its missile and nuclear programs within two months,

or face consequences. We've also seen a steady buildup of U.S. military assets in the region, and this is important. CENTCOM now has two carrier strike groups within range, and as we reported last week, the U.S. has been amassing B-2 bombers and other air assets at Diego Garcia, a key strategic air base in the Indian Ocean. So there's no coincidence that the IRGC has released this latest footage now.

Last week, they flat-out rejected direct talks with Washington. However, they've left the door open for indirect negotiations, possibly through Oman or Qatar, but frankly, that wasn't enough for U.S. President Trump. On Friday, he told the media, "...my big preference is that we work it out with Iran, but if we don't work it out, bad things are going to happen to Iran."

All right. Coming up next, Hamas signals a possible hostage release in a new ceasefire proposal. And Syria's new president forms a surprisingly diverse cabinet in a break from Assad-era rule. I'll be right back. Hi, Mike Baker here.

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In a bid to revive January's collapsed ceasefire agreement, Hamas is offering to free Israeli hostages, this time under an Egyptian-backed proposal that would see five released each week, including American-Israeli Eden Alexander.

A Hamas official told CNN that the proposal closely resembles a previous framework pitched by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff earlier this month, though it remains unclear whether the deal includes the return of the remains of deceased hostages.

In exchange for the phased releases, Hamas is demanding that Israel revert to the terms of the 19 January ceasefire, which saw a multi-week pause in fighting, an influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the commencement of phase two negotiations. As we've been reporting here on the PDB since early this month, Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza, aiming to force Hamas to accept new terms more favorable to Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition.

That initial ceasefire, which was brokered after more than a year of war, resulted in the release of 33 hostages, eight of them deceased, in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and terrorists.

The second phase was slated to begin just over two weeks later and conclude within 42 days, culminating in the release of all surviving hostages, a formal end to the war, and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. But talks quickly unraveled. The White House has laid the blame for the original breakdown in talks squarely at Hamas' feet, accusing the group of stalling negotiations.

Now, according to Reuters, citing security officials, Israel has expressed cautious optimism about the latest offer, viewing it as a possible on-ramp to a renewed truce. Even so, Netanyahu's office said Saturday it had submitted a counterproposal, quote, "...in full coordination with the United States, offering no further detail."

Hamas political chief Khalil al-Hayya said in a televised address that the terror group had responded, quote, positively to the Egyptian proposal and warned Israel against obstructing progress. He insisted Hamas, quote, fully abided by the original agreement and expressed hope that Israel would reciprocate under the renewed framework.

This renewed ceasefire dialogue comes against a backdrop of escalating violence in Gaza, where Israeli forces have launched an intensified ground campaign in both the northern and southern parts of the Strip. That operation resumed nearly two weeks ago, ending a tenuous two-month lull. On Saturday, Israeli ground troops advanced deeper into the southern city of Rafah, targeting the densely populated Jenea neighborhood along the Egyptian border. The

The IDF said its objective is to expand a buffer zone along the border in order to shape the post-war geography of Gaza should a ceasefire be re-established. Now, whether either side can overcome the political inertia and distrust that doomed the last agreement remains an open question. But for now, well, the offer is on the table while the war grinds on.

Okay, shifting to Syria. The interim government has taken its most decisive step yet towards stitching the war-torn nation back together, swearing in a new transitional government nearly four months after the toppling of the Assad regime. The 23-member cabinet replaces the interim government led by former Al-Qaeda member Ahmad al-Sharaa. He assumed leadership back in December after Assad was ousted in a sweeping rebel advance.

Syria is now embarking on a five-year transitional period, with elections on the horizon, in the distant horizon, since Shara has publicly stated it could take the full duration to prepare for a vote. This freshly minted cabinet is notably diverse, drawing in appointees from Syria's mosaic of religious and ethnic minorities, widely interpreted as a direct response to mounting Western and Arab pressure to form a more representative government.

As we've been tracking here on the President's Daily Brief, that pressure reached a boiling point earlier this month following the massacre of more than 1,000 people, most of them Alawite civilians, along Syria's western coastline and in part in Damascus, in a brutal reprisal wave that underscored the nation's volatile sectarian landscape.

Among the new ministers, an Alawite was tapped to lead the transportation ministry, a member of the Druze community was handed the agriculture portfolio, and a Christian woman, well known for her interfaith work and advocacy on women's rights in opposition to the Assad regime, was named Minister of Social Affairs and Labor.

Now, one conspicuous absence? Well, that would be the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF, and their associated autonomous civil administration in the Northeast. They were left out of the new cabinet entirely. That's despite a recent breakthrough deal between Sharaa and the SDF commander that was agreed upon in Damascus, which established a nationwide ceasefire and called for the SDF's integration into the Syrian National Army.

Two key holdovers from the interim government, the defense minister and foreign minister, kept their posts. That's a move that analysts say signals continuity on the security front. Additionally, the interim prime minister, prior to Shiraz's transitional reshuffle, has been reassigned as energy minister, tasked with jump-starting the country's decimated oil and electricity infrastructure.

Two new ministries were also announced: a Ministry of Sports and a Ministry of Emergencies. The latter will be headed by the leader of the White Helmets at Syria's renowned civil defense organization, likely a strategic nod to international donors and human rights groups tracking post-war recovery efforts. One structural shift worth noting is that there will be no prime minister in the transitional period. Shara will head the executive branch directly.

At the swearing-in ceremony, he declared, quote, "...this government is a declaration of our joint will to build a new state, vowing to restore national unity and public trust after years of bloodshed."

Earlier this month, the Sharia also unveiled a new constitutional declaration that enshrines Islamic law as a guiding principle while simultaneously guaranteeing women's rights and freedom of expression. It's a carefully calibrated balancing act seen by many as an overture to Western allies in a bid to unlock sanctions relief.

The formation of this transitional government is, without question, a critical inflection point. But whether it serves as a bridge to stability or simply a brief pause before the next chapter of violence in Syria, that remains to be seen. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, U.S. forces take out ISIS militants in Somalia. We'll have those details next.

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Like a bull in a china shop, Donald Trump came in to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. But with his bold reform and rejuvenation agenda comes so many legal questions. Nationwide injunctions. Are they constitutional? What's the deal with birthright citizenship? What about the administrative state? Can he actually clean the deep state and end the politicization of the federal bureaucracy?

I'm Josh Hammer, host of America on Trial with Josh Hammer. Subscribe to America on Trial with Josh Hammer for your daily updates on all of these questions and more.

Like a bull in a china shop, Donald Trump came in to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. But with his bold reform and rejuvenation agenda comes so many legal questions. Nationwide injunctions. Are they constitutional? What's the deal with birthright citizenship? What about the administrative state? Can he actually clean the deep state and end the politicization of the federal bureaucracy?

I'm Josh Hammer, host of America on Trial with Josh Hammer. Subscribe to America on Trial with Josh Hammer for your daily updates on all of these questions and more.

In today's Back of the Brief, the United States has quietly ramped up its counterterrorism campaign in East Africa, launching a targeted airstrike in northeastern Somalia over the weekend that killed multiple ISIS fighters. The strike, carried out in coordination with the Somali government, hit a cluster of ISIS Somalia targets southeast of the port city of Belsaso, according to a statement from U.S. Africa's command. That's called AFRICOM, in case you were wondering what the acronym might be.

While details remain limited, initial assessments suggest that several terrorists were killed and no civilians harmed. Though often overshadowed by the al-Qaeda-aligned al-Shabaab terrorists, ISIS Somalia has carved out a foothold in the semi-autonomous Puntland region. And according to U.S. officials, the terror group has demonstrated both the intent and the operational reach to threaten American and partner interests in the area.

Saturday's airstrike is the latest in a string of operations aimed at stemming that threat. It follows a separate strike just days prior, as well as a series of strikes in February that, according to Puntland authorities, eliminated, quote, key ISIS figures entrenched in the region's mountainous terrain. The uptick in U.S. airstrike activity in the region suggests that Washington is becoming increasingly concerned about the terror group's resilience,

and its potential to expand influence across Somalia's porous borders. But with ISIS Somalia keeping a lower profile than its al-Shabaab rivals, tracking the terror group's movements has proven to be challenging. As of now, AFRICOM has released no further details about the targets hit in Saturday's strike, citing ongoing operational security concerns.

And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Monday, 31 March. If you have any questions or comments, well, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And now, if you're so inclined, of course, you can listen to the show ad-free by simply becoming a premium member of the President's Daily Brief. Just visit pdbpremium.com. It couldn't be easier. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay...

Stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.

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