The President's Daily Brief - July 31st, 2026: The Pentagon's Plan To Cripple Iran & Red Sea Coalition

Episode Date: July 31, 2026

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: New reporting reveals the Pentagon is weighing a dramatic expansion of the war with Iran, including a proposal for up to two weeks of sustained airstrikes aimed at crippling the regime's remaining missile capabilities. We examine what's under consideration and what it could mean for the next phase of the conflict. As Houthi attacks continue to disrupt global shipping, Saudi Arabia pushes for a new multinational naval coalition to secure the Red Sea. U.S. investigators now believe Iranian hackers were likely behind a cyberattack targeting dozens of municipal water systems in Minnesota, raising concerns the conflict with Tehran is expanding into America's critical infrastructure. In today's Back of the Brief, it's been a month since devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela, but experts warn the country's greatest challenges may still lie ahead. 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 Pendulum: Ditch the afternoon crashes and naturally curb your cravings with 20% off the doctor-recommended Pendulum Metabolic Daily at https://pendulumlife.com Sundays for Dogs: Upgrade your dog’s food without the hassle—try Sundays for Dogs and get 50% off your first order at https://sundaysfordogs.com/PDB or use code PDB at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ready to take your investing knowledge to pro-level, this is Fidelity Connects, your daily edge in the markets. Get deep insights on real-time market topics that may impact your investment portfolio. Listen to Fidelity Connects on Spotify today and power your next move tomorrow. It's Friday, the 31st of July, oh, the end of another work week and the end of another month. Well, as they say, time flies when you have multiple global conflicts and crises. Actually, I'm not sure who says that. 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, new reporting reveals that the Pentagon is weighing a dramatic expansion of the war with Iran, including a proposal for up to two weeks of sustained airstrikes aimed at crippling the regime's remaining missile capabilities. I'll explain what's under consideration. Later in the show, as Houthi attacks continue to disruptions, shipping, Saudi Arabia is pushing for a new multinational naval coalition to secure the Red Sea. Plus, U.S. investigators now believe that Iranian hackers were likely behind a cyber attack targeting dozens of municipal water systems in Minnesota, raising fears that the conflict

with the Iranian regime is expanding into America's critical infrastructure. And in today's back of the brief, it's been a month since devastating earthquakes rocked Venezuela, but experts warn that the country's biggest challenges may just be starting. But first, today's PDB spotlight. After Iran's surprise missile attack on American forces in Jordan earlier this week, President Trump now faces a decision. Should the U.S. simply retaliate and continue talking about negotiations and that very elusive agreement to end the conflict,

or should they dramatically expand the war? Now, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, that debate is already underway inside the Pentagon, where senior military leaders have presented the president with options, ranging from another limited response to a sustained air campaign that could last as long as two weeks. At the center of that discussion is Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command, that's the military command responsible for American operations across the Middle East. According to the journal, Cooper has been quietly arguing for months now that the first phase of the war ended before the military had fully achieved its objectives.

After Iran has once again demonstrated that it retains a significant missile capability, Cooper reportedly believes that the U.S. has an opportunity to finish the job. And to understand that argument, it's worth looking back at how we got here. When the U.S. and Israel launched their joint campaign against Iran earlier this year, the stated primary objective wasn't to occupy territory or overthrow the regime. Instead, it was to cripple Tehran's ability to threaten its neighbors and American forces by destroying its missile launchers and production facilities, command centers, and Revolutionary Guard infrastructure.

The narrative, of course, then became all about preventing Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon. That bombing campaign inflicted significant damage, that is very true. Following the April ceasefire, Defense Secretary Pete Hed. Exeth publicly described Iran's missile force as, quote, functionally destroyed. But functionally destroyed did not mean completely eliminated. Admittedly, the messaging coming from the White House talked about obliterating or decimating the Iranian military. Well, clearly, that was not the case. It's a reminder that it's probably best to pick and parse words carefully when describing military operations, objectives, and results.

comments about having obliterated the Iranian military notwithstanding, American intelligence assessed that Iran had, in fact, retained a significant portion of its missile arsenal and launchers, along with enough surviving infrastructure to continue attacks. And that's exactly what happened. Earlier this month, Iranian missiles killed American troops stationed in Jordan. Then just this week, Tehran launched another surprise missile attack against U.S. forces, prompting the latest round of American airstrikes. For Admiral Cooper, according to the journal's reporting, those attacks reinforce a conclusion that he's reached for some time. The original campaign simply ended too soon. The journal reports that Cooper had originally believed he needed roughly six weeks of sustained operations

to substantially dismantle Iran's military capabilities. Instead, the ceasefire halted the campaign after a little more than a month. Now, Cooper is reportedly advocating for what amounts to a second phase of that air campaign. attend to 14-day operation, targeting Iran's remaining missile forces, drone facilities, command centers, and revolutionary guard assets. The logic behind that proposal is relatively straightforward. Rather than continuing to intercept Iranian missiles one by one, Cooper reportedly believes the U.S. should further degrade Iran's ability to launch those attacks in the first place. But that is not the only view reportedly inside the administration. The journal reports the chairman of

the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Cain, has urged greater caution, warning that the U.S. is consuming large numbers of expensive air defense interceptors, not only to protect forces in the Middle East, but also possibly needed to maintain readiness against other potential threats around the world. From that perspective, every military decision involving Iran has broader consequences. The Pentagon isn't thinking only about today's fight. It's also weighing commitments in Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and elsewhere, against finite military resources. That internal debate appears to be playing out, even as American aircraft continues striking

Iranian targets. Wednesday night's attacks reportedly hit dozens of facilities connected to Iran's IRGC, including command centers as well as missile and drone infrastructure. Now, whether those strikes were simply another round of retaliation or the opening moves of the broader campaign that Admiral Cooper is advocated for, that remains to be seen. Either way, the Wall Street Journal's reporting offers a rare glimpse inside the strategic debate now taking place behind closed doors. The question now is whether Washington believes that limited retaliation can create deterrence, or whether the administration is preparing to launch a much more ambitious effort to permanently degrade Iran's remaining military capabilities.

Not to point out the obvious, but limited retaliation over the past couple of weeks has not deterred the Iranian regime from their belligerent actions. If anything, it's encouraged a more aggressive response. from the IRGC. All right. Coming up next, Saudi Arabia looks to rally the world against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. And U.S. investigators, say Iran,

likely carried out a cyber attack targeting municipal water systems in Minnesota. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here, with a pro tip for feeling your best. Now, let me ask you a question. Have you ever finished breakfast or lunch or dinner? And then find yourself reaching for a snack, maybe an hour later?

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Raffle number 155-21.4. Please play responsibly. Welcome back to the PDB. Saudi Arabia believes protecting the Red Sea may soon require more than its own military. The kingdom is now working to assemble an international coalition to protect commercial shipping from escalating attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. A new Reuters report, citing two sources familiar with the discussions, says Riyadh is consulting with dozens of countries about joining the effort, although the coalition's final composition has not yet been determined.

And while officials are still working through which countries would actually participate, the coalition would aim to coordinate friendly naval forces to protect commercial shipping, safeguard one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes, and deter future Houthi attacks. If you've been following our coverage of the conflict, this development probably won't come as much of a surprise. Earlier this month, we discussed the Houthi maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia. At the time, the Iranian-backed terror group accused Riyadh of imposing what it called a, quote, unjust and oppressive regime on Yemen, while, quote, plundering resources and imposing a comprehensive blockade. Now, Saudi Arabia, of course, rejected those accusations, but the Houthis persisted.

The Iranian back group quickly began backing up those threats with attacks on Saudi-linked vessels operating in the Red Sea. What started as threats against merchant vessels has now steadily evolved into a sustained campaign targeting one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes. The Houthis aren't just threatening cargo ships. They're targeting oil tankers and other vessels carrying critical supplies through the region. As those attacks continue, they're adding additional pressure to a global economic outlook already strained by months of instability surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, pushing, of course, oil prices higher.

In effect, the Houthis opened another maritime front against the U.S. and its regional allies, expanding the conflict beyond the Persian Gulf and into another critical global shipping lane. So, you ask, how has Riyadh responded? Well, Saudi warplates have carried out airstriks against Houthi military facilities around Yemen's port of Haudida that the kingdom says are being used to threaten merchant shipping in the Red Sea. Those airstriks have disrupted Houthi operations, but they haven't ended the threat. That's where the proposed coalition comes in. And from Riyadh's perspective, this campaign extends far beyond Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and its Gulf partners increasingly view the Khutis, not as an isolated Yemeni insurgency, but as Iran's most capable proxy force, carrying out Tehran's regional strategy to pressure the U.S., its allies, and international commerce by threatening maritime chokepoints. That concern prompted Saudi's foreign minister to hold calls with his counterparts in Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain, during which the officials, quote, stressed the importance of continuing efforts to de-escalate tensions, while also condemning attacks carried out by Iran, end quote, its affiliated militias in Iraq and Yemen, end quote. The ministers also emphasized stronger coordination through the Gulf Cooperation Council, a sign that Gulf governments increasingly see this as a regional security challenge, rather than a problem Saudi Arabia should confront alone.

But there may be an even bigger objective behind the Khutti campaign. officials with Yemen's internationally recognized government say the Iranian-backed group is working under Tehran's guidance to establish a system that would charge ships fees for transiting the Red Sea in the Baboam-Mandem Strait. The strategy, of course, mirrors what the Iranian regime has been trying to impose in the Strait of Hormuz. Yemen's information minister described the Houthi's proposal as an effort to transform one of the world's strategic maritime corridors into what he called a, quote, permanent source of funding. for the militia's military and terrorist activities." End quote. Okay. While the fighting between the U.S. and Iran continues,

U.S. investigators now believe Tehran may have opened another front much closer to home. Federal and state officials are investigating a cyber attack that targeted roughly three dozen municipal water systems across Minnesota this week. While the investigation remains ongoing, authorities say the evidence increasingly points to Iranian hackers. officials caution that the assessment is still preliminary and could change as more technical evidence is collected. But if confirmed, the attack would mark one of the clearest signs yet that the conflict between Washington and Tehran is expanding beyond missiles and drones into America's civilian infrastructure.

With Iran, potentially testing access, identifying weaknesses, and reminding Washington that retaliation isn't limited to the traditional battlefield. The attacks were first detected on Sunday, after hackers attempted to compromise systems used to remotely monitor and operate municipal water towers and treatment facilities. According to Minnesota officials, at least one city's well and treatment plant was temporarily taken offline, while operators switched to backup systems, and several other municipalities relied on manual workarounds after their automated controls were targeted. Importantly, authorities say there's no indication that any drinking water was contaminated or that water service was significantly disrupted. So suspicions quickly fell on Iran, as investigators say the operation appears to have been designed for disruption rather than financial gain. There was no ransom demand. That's a hallmark of many

criminal cyber attacks. And officials say the techniques used by the hackers closely resemble previous Iranian cyber operations. Minnesota's chief information security officer, John Israel, said approximately 36 municipal water systems were targeted and one that investigators now believe similar activity may already be occurring in other states. He credited an early alert issued after the first intrusion with allowing other municipalities to quickly isolate vulnerable systems before more serious disruptions could occur. The suspected attacks also came just days after the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency, oh, is there an acronym for that? Of course there is. It's CESA updated a public advisory warning that Iranian-affiliated hackers were actively attempting to penetrate

operational technology used by critical infrastructure across the U.S., including water and wastewater systems. Sisa has not yet publicly attributed the Minnesota incidents to Iran. But for years, U.S. intelligence officials have assessed that cyber operations are one of Tehran's preferred asymmetric tools. Unable to match the U.S. in conventional military power, Iran has repeatedly used hackers to impose costs on its adversaries while maintaining a degree of deniability. If investigators ultimately confirm Tehran's involvement, the operation would fit this broader pattern. Rather than seeking large-scale physical destruction, Iran is increasingly relied on cyber operations, capable of disrupting hospitals, government agencies, transportation networks, and critical infrastructure.

U.S. intelligence officials have long warned that municipal water systems remain particularly attractive targets, as many rely on aging technology. That's often maintained by small local governments with limited cybersecurity resources. Even unsuccessful intrusions can force communities to shift to manual operations, consume emergency resources, and undermine public confidence.

Whether this week's intrusions were intended as retaliation for recent U.S. military operations, reconnaissance for future attacks, or simply a demonstration of capability, well, that remains unclear. But the episode underscores an increasingly important reality of modern warfare. Even when the fighting is taking place thousands of miles away, the battlefield can extend directly into the infrastructure Americans rely on every day.

All right, coming up in the back of the brief, more than a month after Venezuela's powerful earthquakes, the rubble is still being cleared. And experts warn the disaster's long-term consequences are only just emerging. More on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here, with a message for dog lovers. Now, if you like me and my family, dogs are an important part of life, and feeding them right, Well, that's very important. But if your dog's a picky eater, maybe it's because your dog knows the difference between junk and real food.

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and as their lives start to intertwine, the line between right and wrong begins to blur. New episodes week over week. Watch the Hulu original series Furious, now streaming only on Hulu on Disney Plus. In today's back of the brief, I want to give you an update on Venezuela's earthquake recovery. While the ground stopped shaking more than a month ago, environmental and health consequences are beginning to emerge. When the twin 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck Venezuela on the 24th of June,

nearly every update, of course, focused on the rescue effort. Now the full scale of the disaster is becoming clear. The quakes killed more than 5,000 people, injured nearly 17,000, left almost 18,000 people homeless and caused an estimated nearly $20 billion in direct physical damage. With the rescue effort now over, experts say Venezuela is entering a new phase of the disaster, one focused on protecting survivors from the health and environmental threats left behind. If you walked through LaGuarda today, that's the Venezuelan coastal state that bore the worst destruction from the earthquakes, you probably wouldn't think that recovery was already

a month old. Recovery crews are still in the early stages of clearing debris as dust from collapsed buildings hangs over damaged neighborhoods. Water trucks continue making their rounds, garbage has begun piling up, and for many families, home is still a tenter or a mattress outside a building that officials say isn't safe to enter. One aid worker described the conditions bluntly, telling Associated Press, quote, The smell of corpses is very strong. As water and sanitation systems break down, hospitals become overwhelmed and displaced families crowd into temporary shelters, the risk of disease begins climbing.

According to the Pan American Health Organization, authorities are now tracking at least 18 priority diseases and public health threats requiring immediate attention, including intestinal illnesses, respiratory infections, dengue fever, malaria, and measles. and much of that concern starts with clean drinking water. While water tanker trucks are reaching many of the affected communities, humanitarian organizations warn that this doesn't necessarily mean the water they're delivering has been properly treated, which is why they're monitoring for diseases.

But water is only one part of the challenge. The other is the enormous amount of debris left behind. Emergency management teams estimate roughly 1.2 million tons of earthquake rubble remain scattered across a disaster zone, and this isn't just broken concrete and twisted steel. Mixed into that debris are fuels and motor oil, plastics, obsestis, and other hazardous materials released when buildings collapse. If contaminated debris isn't handled properly, environmental experts warn that pollutants could spread into nearby coastal waters and create long-term health risks for surrounding communities. The recovery itself is also becoming

more dangerous. One woman searching for loved ones remains, told the associated press, quote, The dust made me seriously ill. We've had coughs, allergies, fever, and headaches. Many volunteers and emergency workers have developed respiratory illnesses after spending weeks breathing cement and silica dust released as buildings are cleared. And even after the rubble is removed, experts say the environmental risks won't simply disappear. Seasonal rains could trigger landslides across hillsides already weakened by the earthquakes. Damage to coastal ecosystems may take years to fully assess as environmental studies continue. All of that is unfolding against the backdrop of a healthcare system already weakened by years of socialist mismanagement and corruption under Nicholas Maduro,

leaving the country with chronic shortages of medicine, doctors, and medical infrastructure. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Friday the 31st of July. Now, if you have any questions for comments, and I hope you do, just reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And finally, well, it's Friday. And you know what that means? A brand new episode of our extended weekend show, the PDB Situation Report, arrives on your doorstep at 10 p.m. this evening. Just tune in to The First TV. You can also catch it in past episodes on our YouTube channel. I hope you'll check that out. Just search up at President's Daily Brief on YouTube. And, of course, you can find the show on podcast platforms all over podcast land.

I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Hey, y'all. It's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. Ever order furniture online and wonder what if? Like, what if it doesn't hold up? That sofa was four days old. You should have ordered from Wayfair. With Wayfair, there's no what if. Just style you love and quality you can trust. Visit Wayfair.ca.ca.

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