PDB Afternoon Bulletin | June 12th, 2025: Iran Unleashes Major Nuclear Expansion & The 'Ghost of al-Qassam' Takes Over Hamas
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Let's get briefed. First, just hours after the UN's nuclear watchdog issued a historic resolution censuring Iran for failing to comply with its non-proliferation obligations, the mullahs announced a major expansion of their nuclear program, including establishing a new enrichment facility.

Later in the show, Hamas has named its third leader in just the past seven months, a shadowy figure known as the Ghost of al-Qassam, who helped mastermind the brutal 7 October attacks.

But first, today's afternoon spotlight. In a major escalation of its nuclear program, Iran announced today that it would activate a third uranium enrichment facility just hours after receiving its most serious censure in nearly two decades from the UN's nuclear watchdog. A spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said the Islamic regime would immediately begin replacing its older centrifuges with six-generation models

at its underground Fordow facility, significantly boosting both the volume and efficiency of its uranium enrichment. As we've been tracking this week, a third enrichment site already built is now being readied for operation. The spokesman stated, "These steps are part of Iran's calibrated response to the UN's resolution." He warned that additional countermeasures are under review.

The move followed a closed-door vote by the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member Board of Governors, which passed a resolution formally declaring Iran in non-compliance with its non-proliferation obligations. That didn't take them very long, did it? The measure, backed by the U.S., Britain, France, and Germany, passed 19-3 with 11 abstentions. Only Russia, China,

And can you guess the third one? Well, if you guessed Burkina Faso, you'd be right. Those three opposed it. Seriously, Burkina Faso. At the core of the censure is the Islamic regime's long-standing refusal to explain the discovery of uranium traces at multiple undeclared nuclear sites. The IAEA has spent years demanding answers. They're very patient, suspecting the materials may be linked to covert weapons research.

The mullahs claim the traces were planted through Israeli sabotage, though the regime has provided no evidence to support those allegations.

The IAEA resolution opens the door for Iran's file to be referred to the UN Security Council, where European diplomats say they may pursue a snapback of sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal if Tehran doesn't change course. But that move comes with certain risk. If reimposed, Iranian officials have threatened to expel IAEA inspectors,

and withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty altogether. Of course, that's the treaty that the UN says they're not abiding by. An act that would remove the last remaining legal constraint on its pursuit of nuclear weapons. And I use the word constraint very loosely. As we've discussed here on the BDB, Iran is already enriching uranium to 60% purity. That's just short of weapons grade. And it's producing enough highly enriched uranium each month to build at least one bomb.

Now, most of that enrichment takes place at the Fordow site, where those sixth-generation centrifuges are about to ramp up production. While Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, it remains the only non-nuclear weapon state enriching at such levels.

U.S. intelligence still assesses that the mullahs have not yet decided to build a nuclear weapon. Apparently, the intel analysts are waiting to actually see the nuclear weapon before announcing that Iran intends to build one. Officials do warn that the regime's current stockpile and technical capabilities could allow it to weaponize the program within months if it chooses to.

President Trump, who upon returning to office reinstated the maximum pressure campaign and reimposed sweeping sanctions, said earlier this week that he's grown increasingly skeptical that a diplomatic resolution is within reach. At the same time, he's cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu against unilateral military strikes that could derail fragile negotiations. However, Israeli officials remain deeply alarmed, warning that Iran's expanding capabilities may soon force their hand.

So, where does this leave nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran? The sixth round of talks is set to begin Sunday in Oman, but with Iran racing ahead and the IAEA tightening the screws, the path to a deal, well, looks increasingly narrow.

At the heart of the deadlock is the same impasse that's scuttled every past round: Tehran demands recognition of its right to enrich uranium, while Washington demands that enrichment be ended altogether to guarantee non-proliferation. Now, having said that, the latest US proposal that was just rejected by the mullahs did appear to allow for civilian levels of enrichment. So, there does appear to be a gap between the public rhetoric and what's being discussed at the negotiating table.

Coming up next, following the deaths of the Sinmar brothers, Hamas has found its new leader. Thou bet that they have trouble writing a key man insurance policy for this fellow. I'll be right back.

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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. After once again having their leadership ranks hit by Israeli airstrikes last month, Hamas has reportedly found its new latest leader. According to multiple sources that spoke exclusively to the Wall Street Journal, the militants have named a shadowy figure named Ezzedine al-Haddad to lead their terror operations in the enclave.

Harad is Hamas's third leader in just the past seven months, following the deaths of Mohammed Sinwar in early May and his older brother Yahya Sinwar last October in Israeli operations. The new terror chief, one of the masterminds of the 7 October attacks on Israel that kicked off this latest conflict, is known locally as the Ghost of al-Qassam because of his low profile. Well, that's good once he's terminated, at least they won't have to change his nickname.

He's reportedly survived several assassination attempts by Israeli forces, though both of his sons were reportedly killed earlier this year. A figure central to Hamas' operations since before the war began, the 55-year-old Haddad is said to be an experienced fighter who has spearheaded recruitment operations for the terror group. A Hebrew speaker, he's also overseen the captivity of Israeli hostages since the war began.

A day before the 7 October attacks on Israel, he held a secret meeting with Hamas commanders, handing out instructions for the operation, including the mass abduction of Israeli civilians and soldiers. An unnamed released Israeli hostage that spoke with the journal said they had met Haddad five times during their captivity in the enclave.

In a chilling account, the hostage said during their first meeting with the militant, he insisted on speaking Hebrew and bragged about being responsible for all the hostages being held in Gaza. He then showed them photos of hostages that he had on his cell phone. After Yahya Sinwar's death last October, Khadad took command of Hamas's forces in the northern Gaza Strip, while Sinwar's younger brother, Mohammed, took control in the south before being named the overall head of Hamas in Gaza.

But Mohammad's command was relatively short-lived. He was killed during airstrikes on the 13th of May in southern Gaza, which also took out a number of senior leaders of the terror group who were meeting in a tunnel beneath a hospital. At this stage of the war, Baghdad didn't have much competition for the top post, frankly, as Israel has managed to eliminate the majority of the roughly dozen and a half senior militants that previously made up Hamas's military council.

Still, Israeli officials that spoke to the Journal said Hamas's continued ability to quickly replace its fallen leaders shows that the group still does remain durable and formidable and has a presence across the Gaza Strip, despite their diminished numbers and depleted arsenal. While Israel has reportedly killed as many as 20,000 of the estimated 35,000 fighters that it had before the war, Haddad has managed to attract thousands of new fighters in recent months.

Now, while these new fighters have only received minimal training, their recruitment has helped to bolster Hamas's ranks back to an estimated fighting force of 25,000. A former head of Palestinian affairs for Israeli military intelligence told the Journal, quote, They're much weaker than 20 months ago, but we should be accurate, they are still the dominant player in Gaza.

The ghost of Al-Qassam currently has a $750,000 Israeli bounty on his head and will become the new focus of Israel's military campaign, which has intensified over the past weeks across the enclave as part of Operation Gideon's chariots.

Thanks to this renewed campaign, Israeli forces now control roughly 50% of the Gaza Strip and aim to have 75% of the enclave under their control by late July. Still, officials caution that roughly 75% of Hamas's underground tunnels remain intact and the group is increasingly pivoting to targeted ambushes.

How Haddad will run the terror group's operations remains to be seen, but Arab and Israeli sources have described him as being more pragmatic than the Sinwar brothers, reportedly pushing for them to release more hostages to extend a ceasefire deal that ultimately collapsed back in March. He was also apparently more open to demands that the militant group disarm during ceasefire negotiations, though his stance is said to have hardened following the deaths of his sons earlier this year.

We should also note that the new terror chief shares the view that the remaining hostages should not be released unless Israel fully withdraws their forces from Gaza and permanently ends the war. And that, at least at this stage, isn't likely to happen. The major question for Haddad now is, well, how long he can remain alive. In a recent statement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hamas' new terror chief and the group's remaining leaders abroad that they are, quote, "...next in line."

And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Thursday, the 12th of June. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, it is very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

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