PDB Afternoon Bulleting | June 23rd, 2025: Iran Fires Missile Barrage At US Troops In Qatar & Iran Begs Russia For More Help
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It's Monday, the 23rd of June. 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, in the wake of the precision strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities over the weekend, President Trump is now flirting with the idea of regime change to end the rule of the mullahs in the IRGC.

Later in the show, as his government begins to crumble under the weight of Israeli and U.S. military bombardment, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is turning to his supposed friends in Russia for help, asking for assistance in an attempt to maintain a hold on power. We'll have the details. But first, there's breaking news out of the Middle East. A

Iran has launched a direct missile attack on U.S. forces stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Tehran's top security body claims the number of bombs used mirrors those fired by the U.S. in its recent strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. For now, while confirmed numbers are still pending, it appears that approximately 14 missiles are confirmed to have been launched. The Qatari Ministry of Defense says its air defenses successfully intercepted the missiles

No casualties had been reported. The base was reportedly mostly empty at the time, and Cutter had already closed its airspace as a precaution. Now, the New York Times is reporting that Cutter may have been tipped off in advance, suggesting the attack was possibly coordinated to avoid loss of life and any unnecessary escalation. Even so, Cutter has condemned the strike, calling it a, quote, flagrant violation of its sovereignty. And

And this wasn't Iran's only move. Missile launches have also been reportedly targeting U.S. military positions in Iraq. We'll continue tracking developments, but early indications are that the Iranian regime's retaliation was a strategic decision to both limit and telegraph their response. Now, today's PDB Afternoon Spotlight.

Following America's surprise strike on Iran's nuclear program, President Trump is now floating the possibility of regime change, as Israel shifts their military focus to targeting Iran's government sites and domestic security apparatus. Trump warned the mullahs over the weekend and prior to today's launch of missiles targeting U.S. bases in Qatar and reportedly Iraq that any Iranian retaliation will be met with an overwhelming military response. And although the White House has said that regime change is not their objective,

As Iran digs in their heels and continues to reject negotiations, the president is now teasing the possibility of toppling their government, permanently ending the mullah's 46-year rule. In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, the president mused, quote, It's not politically correct to use the term regime change, but if the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, which he put in all caps so you know he meant it,

Why wouldn't there be a regime change, he said. MIGA. That's how he finished up his Truth Social post, with MIGA. Now, that, of course, is Trump's acronym for Make Iran Great Again. And that slogan, of course, will undoubtedly show up on ball caps all around Tehran soon.

Trump's apparent warning to the mullahs comes as Israel shifts the focus of their military strikes towards targeting Iran's domestic security infrastructure, due to Iran's continued targeting of Israeli civilians in missile attacks.

On Monday, the IDF launched a torrent of strikes across the capital of Tehran, dropping more than 100 munition over the course of just two hours. That's according to a report from the New York Post. Israel's defense ministry said, quote, the Iranian dictator will be punished with full force for attacking the Israeli home front, end quote.

Among the targets hit were the headquarters of Basij, that's the paramilitary volunteer militia within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as the internal security headquarters of the IRGC. Now, notably, the Basij are the force that handles internal protest within the Iranian population. The IDF also struck Iran's notoriously brutal Yirvan prison, where the regime is housed

thousands of its opponents and critics since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. That strike on the prison reportedly blew open the front section, allowing an unknown number of political prisoners to flee. Israel's operations are now increasingly aimed at destabilizing the government of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, potentially creating the conditions for an internal uprising against his longtime oppressive regime.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that the IDF is "currently striking with unprecedented force regime targets and governmental oppression entities in the heart of Tehran." He added, "For every attack on the Israeli home front, the Iranian dictator will be punished, and the strikes will continue with full force."

The actions come less than a week after Katz called Khamenei the modern Hitler and said the brutal dictator, quote, cannot continue to exist. The Ayatollah is now reportedly hiding in an underground bunker as he works to maintain a grip on power.

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you can check out our YouTube channel. That's just go to at President's Daily Brief. It's that simple, at President's Daily Brief on YouTube. All right, coming up next, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei turns to his supposed friends in Russia to ask for assistance. But will the Putin regime respond meaningfully to their beleaguered ally? I'll be right back.

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Power, politics and the people behind the headlines. I'm Miranda Devine, New York Post columnist and the host of the brand new podcast, Podforce One. Every week, I'll sit down for candid conversations with Washington's most powerful disruptors, lawmakers, newsmakers and even the president himself.

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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. In the wake of this weekend's strikes, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has turned to Moscow, dispatching his top diplomat in a bid to rally support from their ally. Now, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Arraqi, is expected to hand-deliver a personal letter from Khamenei to Russian leader Putin today, pleading for stronger backing as Tehran reels from U.S. airstrikes that decimated its nuclear sites over the weekend.

But despite the high-level overture, Moscow is offering more hand-wringing than, well, than hardware. Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov confirmed Russia's willingness to help but made clear that no concrete aid had been pledged. Peskov told state-run TASS, quote, "...everything will depend on what Iran needs," adding that Tehran had yet to articulate specific requests. In effect, Russia is waiting to be asked, supposedly, offering only limited statements.

As we've reported here on the PDB, President Trump and Israeli officials have openly floated the idea of regime change and even the assassination of Khamenei. Those are moves that have set off alarm bells inside the Kremlin.

Putin has condemned Israeli airstrikes, but has yet to say a word about the U.S. bombardment. Instead, the Kremlin continues to push its usual fallback of offering mediation over Iran's nuclear program, because as we all know, Putin loves nothing more than peace. But inside the Kremlin, some Russian lawmakers have reportedly urged the delivery of advanced air defense systems and intelligence support, much like what the U.S. has provided to Ukraine.

But Putin, already neck deep in his three-year invasion with Kyiv, seems reluctant to pick a second fight with Washington. And while Moscow has bought weapons from Iran for its war in Ukraine and loves to boast about its special recent 20-year strategic partnership with Tehran, it's becoming increasingly clear that this alliance is more symbolic than binding. There's no mutual defense clause, no clear red lines, and so far, no meaningful aid.

Meanwhile, Putin has reportedly secured assurances from Israel that Russian contractors working on two new reactors at Iran's Bushehr nuclear site will be left alone in any future attacks. A meeting between Putin and Oragchi is still expected,

But whether that amounts to anything beyond rhetoric, well, that remains to be seen. At the UN Security Council on Sunday, Russia, China, and Pakistan joined forces to push for an emergency resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire following the American airstrikes on the Islamic regime's three nuclear facilities.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of the Security Council, took to X with his usual fire and fury and bizarre statements, declaring that Iran would proceed with its nuclear weapons program regardless, and even hinting that unnamed nations are ready to provide Tehran with warheads outright. But as we know, well, Medvedev has never met a nuclear saber that he's not willing to rattle. His go-to move is to threaten the use of nukes.

He's like the Russian doctor Strangelove, but without the one-gloved hand and the cool sunglasses.

And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Monday, the 23rd of June. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And of course, as I'm sure you know, to listen to the show ad-free, 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.