The President's Daily Brief - February 5th, 2026: Wave of Explosions and Fires Has Iran & Trump’s Call With Xi

Episode Date: February 5, 2026

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: First up— Iran is on edge after a series of explosions and fires erupted across the country within days. Deadly blasts in multiple cities and a massive market fire in Tehran have fueled fear and uncertainty, as many Iranians openly doubt official explanations. Later in the show— President Donald Trump speaks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping about Ukraine, trade, and Taiwan, as Washington and Beijing prepare for a high-stakes United States state visit to China. Plus— more on a deadly insurgency in southwest Pakistan, where security forces used helicopters and drones to retake a town after days of fighting. And in today’s Back of the Brief— a drawdown in Minneapolis, as the Trump administration moves to pull hundreds of federal officers out of Minnesota, scaling back the federal presence. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief PDS Debt: You’re 30 seconds away from being debt free with PDS Debt. Get your free assessment and find the best option for you at https://PDSDebt.com/PDB Ava: See how millions are boosting their credit with Ava—download the Ava app & use code BAKER for 20% off your first year. Goldbelly: Discover iconic meals from legendary restaurants delivered nationwide with Goldbelly—get 20% off your first order at https://Goldbelly.com with promo code PDB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Thursday the 5th of February. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right. Let's get briefed. First up, the Iranian regime is on edge after a series of explosions and fires erupted across the country within a period of days. Deadly blasts in multiple cities and a massive market fire in Tehran

have fueled fear and uncertainty, as many Iranians openly doubt the official explanations from the regime. Really? Well, I'm not sure why the population wouldn't believe a regime that just finished killing thousands of its own citizens. Later in the show, President Trump speaks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping about Ukraine, trade, and Taiwan, as Washington and Beijing prepare for a high-stakes-U.S. state visit to China. Plus, more on that deadly insurgency in southwest Pakistan, where security forces used helicopters and drones to retake a town after days of fighting. And in today's back of the brief, a drawdown in Minneapolis as the Trump administration moves

to pull hundreds of federal officers out of Minnesota, scaling back their federal presence. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We're starting things off by taking a look at a string of fires and explosions inside Iran that are rattling the regime leadership as well as the citizens. Over the weekend, a powerful blast ripped through an eight-story apartment building in Bandar Abbas, that's a strategic port city along Iran's southern coast. At least one person was killed and more than a dozen others were injured. Images from the scene showed entire floors exposed, windows blown out, and debris scattered through the building.

Then on the very same day, another explosion struck the city of Ahfaz, the capital of Iran's oil-rich Kuzestan province. That blast tore through a four-unit residential. building, killing five people and injuring two more. And then on Tuesday, a massive fire broke out in the commercial market in Western Tehran. Flames tore through the Jeannat Bazaar, consuming at least 200 shops and sending thick black smoke over the capital. Firefighters worked for hours to bring the blaze under control. Now, to be clear, here at the BDB, we don't traffic in conspiracy theories or unsubstantiated claims. We try to stick to what can be verified. And officially,

Iranian authorities say these incidents were accidents, gas leaks, infrastructure failures, nothing more. But what's striking is not the explanations themselves? It's the reaction inside Iran. Many people simply do not believe what they're being told by the regime. I know. Shocking. According to reporting from the New York Times and the Telegraph, the timing of these incidents has left the public deeply unsettled. Three destructive events across different regions of the country, all within roughly 72 hours. Some Iranians suspect foreign sabotage, pointing to long-standing tensions with the U.S. and Israel, and to recent rhetoric from President Trump, warning that a large U.S. naval force was moving toward the region.

Others believe the incidents may reflect domestic resistance or internal retaliation, linked to the protest movement that's shaken the country in recent weeks. Still others point to a more mundane explanation, neglected infrastructure, or safety standards, and aging buildings finally giving way under pressure. Security experts, quoted by the Telegraph, have expressed skepticism that the incidents represent a coordinated for an operation, noting the wide variety of targets, residential buildings in different regions and a commercial market in the capital

rather than military or nuclear facilities. And yet, even former Iranian officials privately acknowledge that such a concentrated series of explosions and fires, well, is unusual. The results in information vacuum, and in Iran, as in many places, information vacuums tend to get filled quickly, especially when trust in official explanations is already wearing thin. As one Iranian told the New York Times, quote, society is waiting for war, end quote. Now, I want to make a turn here, because while Iranians are on edge over explosions and fires,

we're also getting a much clearer picture of how the regime has responded to the protest movement itself. According to new reporting from the Washington Post, Iran sweeping crackdown on anti-government demonstrations has left more than 6,800 people dead. Now, the vast majority of those killed were protesters, most of them shot last month, as security officers moved aggressively to suppress unrest across the country. That figure comes from the Human Rights Activist News Agency, that's a U.S.-based advocacy group that tracks deaths inside Iran by cross-checking reports from families and hospitals and other sources.

And researchers say the number is expected to rise. with more than 11,000 cases still under investigation. Some estimates from sources inside Iran have placed the number of deaths closer to 20,000. The level of violence says few recent parallels. Unlike past crackdowns that were concentrated in major cities or single flashpoints, this one, this time in Iran, unfolded nationwide. Protesters were targeted across dozens of towns and regions, often simultaneously. analysts interviewed by the Washington Post compared the scale of the repression to some of the most brutal episodes of state violence in recent history,

including China's crackdown at Tiananmen Square in 1989 and serious assault on the city of Hama in 1982. Even by Middle Eastern standards, this response by the Iranian regime stands out. Much of the killing appears to have been carried out by security forces firing directly into crowds. Iranian state media has, of course, offered lower casualty figures and has blamed, of course, the unrest on foreign interference, including the U.S. and Israel. But independent researchers, they say the geographic spread, the speed of the killings, and the consistency of eyewitness accounts all point to an extraordinarily violent campaign of repression. The brutal crackdown came after weeks of nationwide protests, of course, amid mounting economic pressure, international isolation, and now, visible public anxiety over unexplained explosions, fires, and the possibility of conflict with the U.S. All right, coming up next, President Trump speaks with Xi Jinping of China about Ukraine and trade,

ahead of a U.S. state visit to China, plus the latest from southwest Pakistan, where helicopters and drones were used to end a deadly insurgent standoff. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, it is a new year, and for many, that's a very much. a time for a fresh start. And for a lot of folks, a fresh start means, well, trying to become debt-free. But at this stage of the game, it may seem to you that the system is built for banks to win and for you to lose. But I want to tell you about a business out there that's

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Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. Welcome back to the BDB. If you want to understand where U.S.-China relations are heading next, well, the latest phone calls should offer some clues. President Trump says he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping about everything from Iran and Ukraine to Taiwan and trade, two months before the pair are set to meet in Beijing. What stands out right away is how wide-ranging the agenda actually was for this call, and Trump didn't describe this as a check-in or a courtesy catch-up. He called the conversation, quote, long and thorough. It signals this wasn't about just optics or scheduling ahead of the Beijing

visit. It was about putting an agenda on the table and gauging how China responds when the conversation moves into security and global stability. But trade was a central part of the conversation and not just symbolic terms. Trump said the two sides discussed potential Chinese purchases of American oil and natural gas. Trump said China also agreed to purchase U.S. grown soybeans. With the Beijing visit on the horizon, the message is that trade stability is possible. Trump detailed the call in a post on truth social, writing that he had just completed what he described as a, quote, excellent conversation with she. It was their first direct exchange since November, when, you may remember, the two leaders reached a one-year trade truce at a summit in Busan, an agreement that paused months of escalating

tariffs and countermeasures without resolving deeper strategic disputes. Now, despite headlines suggesting the U.S.-China relationship has been tense, Trump emphasized that ties remain stable, saying as personal relationship with Xi is, quote, an extremely good one. But the timing of the call is especially important when it comes to Iran. This conversation comes as the Trump administration has been leaning harder on Tehran, a regime that still relies heavily on China as one of its largest oil customers. As we've been tracking over the past several weeks, Washington has paired military pressure with a diplomatic opening, threatening strikes in response to Iran's violent crackdown on protesters while signaling that a deal remains possible, if terrorism.

Iran accepts real limits to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. By raising Iran directly with Xi, Trump is making clear that Beijing isn't a bystander in this situation. China's economic ties give it leverage over Tehran. And Washington's message is that that leverage shouldn't be used to shield the regime from consequences. So, you ask, how did China frame the call? Well, the short answer is, uh, more cautiously.

According to state media, she told Trump that leaders, quote, maintained good communication since Busan and should continue building trust so that 2026 could be a year of, quote, mutual respect and a win-win cooperation. Haza. That is a familiar language from Beijing and, as always, notably, non-specific. It's also worth noting that just before his call with Trump, she spoke with Russian President Putin. In that conversation, she has said the international situation had become increasingly turbulent

since the start of the year, without specifying which events he was referring to. She regards Putin as an ally in maintaining international stability. Yes, I'm sorry, I couldn't keep a straight face when saying that, which is somewhat ironic or perhaps ridiculous since Beijing has never criticized Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And in fact, China has been the primary reason that Putin's been able to keep his war machine ticking along. But sure, she regards Putin as an ally in maintaining international.

international stability, whatever they say there in Beijing. The Chinese president described his country and Russia as, quote, stand by, as, quote, responsible major countries and permanent members of the UN Security Council, saying they must promote fairness and justice while, quote, firmly defending the achievements of the victory in World War II. Now, I suggest you not spend too much of your time trying to figure out what that nonsense means. Beijing routinely uses phrasing like that to reinforce its interpretation of the post-war World War II order, including its claim that Taiwan's status was settled by Japan's defeat,

meaning the island, therefore, belongs to China. So it's no surprise that Taiwan emerged as one the most sensitive issues in Xi's call with Trump. According to Chinese state media, she warned against U.S. arms sales to the island, calling Taiwan the, quote, most important issue in U.S.-China relations. The warning followed the Trump administration's approval in December of an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan. That's a move aimed at strengthening deterrence, but of course one that infuriated Beijing. She was quoted to saying China would, quote, never allow Taiwan to be separated from China, urging Washington to handle arms sales with extreme caution. And so, the call reveals how Trump is managing multiple pressure points with Beijing,

while keeping the door open to cooperation. The message from Washington is that engagement is possible, but only on terms that protect U.S. interests and support allies. Okay, I want to return to the surge of violence in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan. After days of attacks by separatist militants, the focus has shifted to the response with security forces regaining control of a town using drones and attack helicopters. Islamabad says that response is now showing results. After fighting with the Balochistan Liberation Army, known as the BLA, officials have revised the death toll upward.

As it stands now, at least 58 civilians and members of Pakistan's security forces were killed, while 197 militants, up from the post-weekend assessment of 145, are reported dead in the counter-operations. Once it became clear the attacks were unfolding simultaneously across the province over the weekend. The security response escalated quickly. Officials in Islamabad say drones and helicopters were deployed to end the conflict, It's a push that's brought active fighting to a halt in the provincial capital of Quetta, even as operations continue elsewhere in the province.

To understand how the situation reached this point, it helps to look back at what unfolded over the weekend. Fighters from the BLA launched coordinated attacks across more than a dozen provincial locations, detonating explosives and exchanging fire with security forces. Police stations, government offices, markets, and banks were all targeted in what Islamabad describes as one of the terror groups' largest island. operations to date. Witnesses described attackers moving through populated areas on motorcycles armed with rifles and grenades. The breadth of the assault quickly disrupted daily life, of course, across the province. Train service through Quetta has been suspended since Saturday, and internet

remains down across much of Balochistan, according to Reuters. In several cases, witnesses set insurgents set fire to infrastructure before security forces arrived, prompting military helicopters to open fire on the attackers. While provincial officials say active fighting in Quetta has now ceased, residents there do remain on edge. Well, that's natural. One local official said the situation was under control, but acknowledged that people are, of course, still fearful and concerned about their safety. Some of the heaviest fighting unfolded elsewhere, particularly in the desert town of Nooski, home to roughly 50,000 people. There, the assistant commissioner of the districts and attackers took over a government complex early on the 31st of January and held the Deputy Commissioner hostage.

It remains unclear if the Deputy Commissioner has been released as security forces combed the area and military operations regain the town. As we previously discussed, Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is rich in minerals and has endured a decades-long insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatists, seeking greater autonomy and a larger share of the region's natural. resources. The BLA has been at the center of that conflict. The terror group has proudly claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they've killed 280 Pakistani soldiers during what it called Operation Black Storm, though they provided no evidence to those claims. And still, Pakistan,

as you might suspect, accuses India of backing the BLA attacks, accusing New Delhi of inciting violence to promote instability, although notably without presenting evidence. As we've been tracking, India's foreign ministry continues to reject those claims, saying Islamabad should instead address what it called the, quote, longstanding demands of its people in the region, end quote. Okay, coming up in today's back of the brief, a shift in federal immigration enforcement posture, as the Trump administration announces a drawdown of officers in Minnesota, reducing the federal footprint in and around Minneapolis. More on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here.

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terms at mintmobile.com. In today's back of the brief, a drawdown in Minneapolis as the Trump administration begins pulling hundreds of federal officers out of Minnesota, following weeks of intense immigration enforcement operations and, of course, protests. According to reports, the administration will withdraw 700 federal law enforcement officers from the state, effective immediately. That represents roughly a 25% reduction in the federal footprint that was surged into Minnesota as part of a broader immigration crackdown. The announcement was made by White House border czar Tom Homan, who said the decision reflects what he described as, quote, unprecedented cooperation from

local authorities, particularly county jails in holding and transferring immigration detainees. Homan also said that the drawdown does not mark an end to federal enforcement efforts in the area. Even after the reduction, about 2,000 federal agents will remain deployed in and around the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. That number is still. far higher than pre-surge levels and signals that the administration is maintaining a significant federal presence despite the pullback. The original surge of federal officers into Minnesota was part of a high-profile enforcement campaign ordered by President Trump, aimed at accelerating arrests and removals of illegal immigrants with criminal records. The operation quickly became

controversial, drawing protests and sharp criticism from state and local leaders who argued these scale and tactics of the deployment were excessive. Minnesota officials have welcomed the drawdown, but many have made clear they believe it does not go far enough. Governor Tim Walts and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry have both called for a much larger reduction, arguing that thousands of federal agents remaining on the ground continues to strain local resources and community trust. The administration, however, is framing the move as an adjustment, not a retreat.

Holman stressed that immigration enforcement remains a top priority, and that federal authorities will continue to operate aggressively where they believe it's necessary. What remains unresolved is how long the remaining agents will stay in Minnesota, and whether this partial withdrawal signals similar drawdowns elsewhere or simply reflects local political pressure. For now, the situation leaves both sides claiming progress. State leaders say the federal footprint is shrinking, and the White House says enforcement goals are still being met. and as with much of the immigration debate, the larger questions about federal authority, local cooperation, and how far enforcement should go, well, they're far from settled. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Thursday, the 5th of February.

Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.