The President's Daily Brief - July 17th, 2025: Iranian Nationals Busted Sneaking Across U.S. Border & North Korea’s War Role

Episode Date: July 17, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Federal agents arrest five Iranian nationals attempting to cross into the U.S. from Canada, raising fears of terror threats along the northern border. Japan sounds the alarm about shifting power in the Pacific, warning that China, Russia, and North Korea now pose the greatest regional threat since World War II. North Korea is reportedly supplying up to 40% of Russia’s ammunition for the war in Ukraine—and new intelligence suggests manpower may be next. In today’s Back of the Brief: A U.S.-backed humanitarian group delivering aid in Gaza is being smeared by Hamas propaganda and undermined by the U.N., despite its massive relief efforts.   To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold DeleteMe: Visit https://joindeleteme.com/BRIEF & Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We'll tell you where it happened and the broader implications for America's national security. Later in the show, Japan issues a stark warning. China is gaining the upper hand in the Pacific. A new report outlines growing threats from Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang, and what it means for Taiwan. Plus, North Korea is becoming Russia's big box store for ammunition. New intelligence suggests Pyongyang is now supplying up to 40% of Russia's ammunition in Ukraine, and Moscow may soon be pushing for even more assistance, including additional troops. And in today's back of the brief, a humanitarian group feeding millions in Gaza is being targeted by Hamas propaganda and slammed by the UN because, well, the UN never met a piece of propaganda

from the Iranian-backed Hamas organization that they weren't willing to accept as gospel truth. A new report reveals how a U.S.-backed nonprofit became a political scapegoat despite its record-breaking aid deliveries. But first, today's BDB spotlight. We'll begin in the U.S. where the recent arrest of a number of Iranian nationals by immigration authorities is raising fears over the threat of domestic terrorism from radical Islamic sleeper cells. A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the CBP, confirmed Tuesday that five Iranians were caught earlier this month while attempting to illegally cross the U.S. border with Canada. Border agents were tipped off about suspicious activity on the 1st of July. near a place called Moors Forks, New York, which is situated at the northern tip of the state near Canada. Agents soon located a minivan, carrying five citizens of Iran and two citizens of Uzbekistan.

That's according to an exclusive report from Fox News. Well, that sounds like a super fun road trip. All seven men had previously been apprehended for unlawful entry into the U.S., according to CBP officials, and are now awaiting deportation. Well, I'm sure they won't try it again. The arrests occurred in a northern border area known as the Swanton sector, which covers parts of New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. The area has long been a hotspot of illegal border crossings, particularly under the immigration policies of the former U.S. administration. The high level of

migrant traffic seen in the sector has alarmed national security experts who've warned that open border policies left America vulnerable to infiltration by foreign adversaries. The threat from Iran, of course, is particularly acute, following their recent war with Israel and the Trump administration's targeted strikes on the regime's nuclear facilities just last month. Following the operation, the Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin, warning of a heightened risk for Iranian-backed domestic terrorism. In late June, as security concerns grew, ICE agents arrested some 130 Iranian nationals throughout the U.S. who were living in the country illegally.

One of those arrested had previously served as a sniper in the Iranian military. Another was on the U.S. terrorist watch list, while others had suspected ties to terrorist groups such as Hezbollah. While the apprehensions are welcome news, former FBI special agent Jonathan Gilliam recently warned Fox News during an interview, that Iranian-linked operatives are likely already widely embedded within the U.S. Gilliam said, quote, where these sleeper cells may be is in plain sight, and that's the real terrifying part, end quote. In their terrorism advisory, DHS officials said the risk to domestic security would become even more extreme if, quote, Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the U.S. homeland. Well, as our regular

listeners know, over the past two weeks, Iranian religious leaders and former top officials have done just that. Iran's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makaram Shirazi, issued a fatwa in late June calling on Muslims to kill President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and anyone else who threatens the Islamic regime, branding them as enemies of God. The religious decree essentially called on Muslims around the world to engage in terrorism against the U.S. and Israel, promising followers they'll be divinely rewarded by Allah. Now, honestly, I guess I'm more than in favor of a benign deity that doesn't reward people for killing and terrorism. He was later joined by Aitola Ahmed Khatami, who called for Trump and Netanyahu's deaths during

a recent sermon. That's quite the sermon. As we covered last week, a former senior advisor to Iran's supreme leader has also directly threatened President Trump, claiming the regime could strike him with a drone at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Additionally, groups linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, have been raising assassination bounties for President Trump worth tens of millions of dollars. One of those groups, calling itself blood-packed, has pledged to, quote, award the bounty to anyone who can bring the enemies of God to justice, end quote. The clear incitements to terrorism have further raised domestic security concerns, of course, and the Secret Service has reportedly bolstered President Trump's security detail since the first threats surfaced.

Counterterrorism experts say this is exactly the kind of material that seeks to inspire lone wolf actors or extremist militias to take matters into their own hands. And it's worth remembering that Iran does have a long history of operating on U.S. and European soil in efforts to carry out assassinations and kidnappings against dissidents and other critics of the Mullahs. Multiple regime-backed plots on U.S. soil have been disrupted since 2020, including foiled assassination attempts in New York, in Maryland against Iranian defectors. Then, of course, there are the assassination operations that have previously targeted Trump and members of his first administration, including former national security advisor John Bolton and former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Given that over the

course of the previous U.S. administration under President Biden, more than 700 Iranian nationals who crossed illegally were reportedly released into the country, DHS officials warned that the threat from sympathizers or operatives acting on Iran's behalf is at an all-time high. All right, coming up next, Tokyo sounds the alarm on China's rising military edge in the Pacific, and new intel reveals North Korea is supplying 40% of Russia's ammunition. Well, what are friends for? I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here.

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Text BDB to 9-89-89898. Ryan Reynolds here from MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I'm I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistance assistants assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. Welcome back to the PDB. In a sweeping new assessment, Japan's Defense Ministry has issued its starkest warning in decades that the world is now facing

its greatest risk of conflict than at any point since the end of World War II. The annual Defense of Japan White Paper released this week declares the global security environment has entered a dangerous new phase, once shaped by deepening strategic coordination between China, Russia, and North Korea, and defined by what Tokyo calls the most severe and complex threat landscape in the country's modern history. According to the report, the international order is being, quote, seriously challenged, and the pace of competition, particularly between the U.S. and China, is accelerating. But it is Beijing that takes center stage in the report's assessment of risk. China's military modernization, the document says, represents, quote, the greatest strategic challenge

facing Japan and the broader region. Among the most concerning trends is a sharp rise in gray zone coercion near Taiwan and the Japanese-controlled Sinkaku Islands, waters that have seen a sharp uptick in Chinese incursions. The white paper outlines what officials believe to be Beijing's evolving strategy of attempting to encircle Taiwan using Coast Guard vessels, not warships, in an effort to avoid triggering open hostilities while still achieving a de facto blockade. In the South China Sea, Tokyo accuses China of trying to force through a, quote, fait de complete by militarizing disputed territory and establishing dominance over some of the world's most vital shipping lanes, which are essential, of course, to Japan's energy security and trade.

Beijing, predictably, lashed out. A defense ministry spokesman slammed the report as, quote, hyping up the China threat and accused Tokyo of meddling in its internal affairs. In a pointed statement, China warned Japan to, quote, learn from history, an unmistakable reference, of course, to Tokyo's militarist past, and a thinly veiled accusation that Japan is laying the groundwork to discard its pacifist constitution. But China isn't a sole concern. The paper also underscores deepening ties between Beijing and Moscow, including joint bomber flights and Navy patrols near Japanese waters, as signs of a growing axis of authoritarian force. The statistics are telling. Japanese fighter jets were scrambled 704 times in the last fiscal year period.

460 were in response to Chinese aircraft and nearly 240 targeted Russian jets. That's nearly two intercepts every day. And the threat from Moscow isn't confined to the skies. Tokyo says Russia has deployed missiles, troops, and aircraft to islands seized from Japan at the close of World War II, territory that remains contested to this day. Japan accuses Moscow of turning the islands into military. outposts and warns that Europe's war in Ukraine is spilling into the Indo-Pacific. As if the China-Russia axis weren't enough, North Korea is also ratcheting up pressure.

The report warns that Pyongyang's growing nuclear missile arsenal now places the entirety of Japan within range, and that the regime is steadily acquiring new surveillance and targeting capabilities. The document made clear that, quote, North Korea's military activities are posing an even more grave an imminent threat to Japan's security than ever before, end quote. The language mirrors warnings from U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Admiral Samuel Paparo, who, in his latest statement, declared that China's alliance with Russia and North Korea represents a strategic challenge without precedence for the U.S. and its allies. As a result of the report, Tokyo reaffirmed its strategic alignment with Washington,

stating it will, quote, further reinforce Japan-U.S. joint deterrence capabilities to counter balance the growing nexus of authoritarian military power in the region. Okay, well, staying in that region, North Korea is now fueling nearly half of Russia's war machine in Ukraine. This staggering escalation cements the deepening military alliance between the two heavily sanctioned regimes. According to South Korea's Defense Intelligence Agency, Pyongyang has shipped an estimated 28,000 containers loaded with shells and munitions to Russian forces, that translates to roughly 12 million artillery rounds. And that's just the beginning. These shipments now account for as much as 40% of Russia's total ammunition needs on the Ukrainian

battlefield. That's according to Kyiv's military intelligence. But it's not just bulletin bombs. South Korean and Ukrainian officials say Kim Jong-un's regime is also funneling ballistic missiles, artillery systems, and military engineers into Putin's war effort, solidifying North Korea's role as Moscow's most brazen arms dealer. One Russia expert at the Institute for the Study of War told the New York Post that the Alliance gives Putin access to vital materials while preserving and replenishing domestic stockpiles.

In other words, Kim is footing the short-term war bill while the Kremlin buys time. In return, well, North Korea is reportedly being paid with cutting-edge military technology. It's a transactional bromance made official during the June 2024 summit between Putin and Kim in Pyongyang, where the two leaders signed the treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership. Since then, the relationship has gone from a shadowy back channel to a full-blown strategic axis. Over the weekend, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov

touched down in Pyongyang for the first time since 2009, to make clear that Moscow would welcome even greater support. We'll have more of that, please. Lavrov said at a press conference, quote, if the DPRK offers further assistance, we have no reason to decline this sincere act of solidarity, end quote. Well, that's nice. He added that under the terms of the treaty, it would be left to North Korea to define the nature and scope of its support. Now, as we've tracked here on the PDB, some 11,000 North Korean soldiers were dispatched to the Russian border city of Kursk late last year, ostensibly, to help repel a Ukrainian incursion. According to Kiev defense officials, as many as half have since been killed or wounded.

Jong Yang has also sent waves of combat engineers and construction crews into Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory to clear mines and rebuild infrastructure. Former Russian defense minister Sergei Shogu confirmed the deployments during his trip to North Korea last month. And if that weren't enough, and it should be enough, in underscoring the urgency and speed of the alliance's expansion, Lavrov went even further during his trip, defending North Korea's nuclear arsenal as a legitimate counterweight to so-called U.S. aggression. He accused the U.S., South Korea, and Japan of, quote, ongoing military buildups around the

Korean Peninsula, even pointing to Israeli and American strikes in Iran in June as evidence of escalating Western provocation. I'm guessing Lavrov doesn't view the invasion of Ukraine as provocation or aggression. As we've discussed here on the President's Daily Brief, Kim pledged what he called unconditional support for Putin's war. Regional analysts say that the strong language suggests Pyongyang's willingness to dispatch more troops, potentially into direct combat roles. South Korean intelligence has warned that Kim is preparing to send 30,000 more North Korean soldiers to the front lines of the war.

North Korea's state-run media agency reported that Kim and Putin, quote, share the same views on all strategic issues in conformity with the level of their alliance, end quote, whatever that means. All right, coming up next in the back of the brief, a new report shows that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, is facing an onslaught of propaganda from Hamas and the UN. Stay with us. Hey, Mike Baker here.

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Okay, good story. Car buying you'll want to tell stories about. Buy your car today on... Carvana... Delivery fees may apply. In today's back of the brief, one story we've been tracking closely here at the PDB is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Now, that's the U.S. and Israeli-backed group, working to deliver

aid directly to civilians in Gaza. It's part of a broader effort to cut Hamas out of the distribution chain and weaken its grip on the population. But that mission has made the GHF, well, a high-value target, of course. As we've reported, Hamas has responded with intimidation, propaganda, and in some cases violence, including the murder of aid workers. Well, a new report is revealing just how far the disinformation campaign against the GHF has gone. According to the Network Contagent Research Institute or NCRI, Hamas, alongside elements of the UN, have been waging an aggressive propaganda war against the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

The report shows that GHF's record-breaking aid effort was reframed in online discourse as, quote, providing nothing but starvation and gunfire. Much of the negative messaging came through social media, influencers, biased NGOs, and mainstream media outlets amplified by bot networks. False narratives were often traced back to Hamas' so-called health ministry. It's an entity the NCR says has a, quote, proven and systematic history of lies, deceptions, duplicated data, and exaggerations, end quote. The result? Well, a 70% drop in how often Hamas was blamed for violence near aid sites, and a 38% decline in public support for U.S. led aid operations.

operations in Gaza. Yeah, you wouldn't want to support aid operations in Gaza, would you? The NCR found that from late May to mid-June, negative narratives about the GHF were nearly twice as common as positive ones, and those posts received 116% more engagement. In perhaps the most outrageous example, a Gaza's pharmacist's viral claim that the GHF was lacing flour with oxycodone was picked up and spread by social media. The claim went viral, racking up over 25 million views by Gormla Saps. It helped to reinforce false narratives, undermining trust, of course, in the entire aid effort. Even more troubling, the disinformation isn't limited to social media posts from internet cranks. Many false stories are finding their way into mainstream coverage,

as we've seen. The Washington Boast, CNN, Reuters, and MSNBC, among others, have all had to issue corrections to reports that blame the IDF and GHF for deaths near aid sites, errors that were often based on Hamas-supplied information, and also based on lazy journalism. In one case, MSNBC corrected its reporting but left the accompanying video, which cast doubt on GHF, untouched on its website. That's some fine, objective journalism right there. At a time when information warfare is shaping global opinion as much as battlefield developments, the NCRI's findings are an important reminder. Facts are often the first casualty in the propaganda war. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday, the 17th of July.

Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. Of course, to listen to the show ad-free, you can do that. It's very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting PDB Premium.com. And if you get the chance, please check out our YouTube channel. You can find that at President's Daily Brief. It's, as the kids say, a humdinger. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed.

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