The President's Daily Brief - March 26th, 2026: Hardliners Seize Control In Iran & Russian Drones Violate NATO Airspace

Episode Date: March 26, 2026

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: First up—Tehran moves quickly to replace a top official killed in recent strikes, installing a hardline security figure and revealing a deeper shift in who’s really calling the shots inside Iran. Later in the show—Russia’s latest drone barrage spills into NATO territory, as Estonia and Latvia report airspace violations during a major attack on Ukraine. Plus—the U.S. quietly ramps up fuel shipments to Cuba’s private sector, signaling a new strategy to undercut the regime from within. And in today’s Back of the Brief—Shahed-style attack drones are now showing up on online marketplaces, raising concerns about the spread of battlefield technology. 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 Ethos Life Insurance: Protect your family’s future with fast, online life insurance from Ethos—get your free quote in minutes at https://Ethos.com/PDB Ultra Pouches: Don’t sleep on @ultrapouches. New customers get 15% Off with code PDB at https://takeultra.com ! #UltraPouches #ad Superpower: Stop guessing about your health—get $20 off Superpower at https://superpower.com/pdb with code PDB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seven years ago, Kia created something great. For the 27 Kia Telluride X-Pro, they didn't settle for great. They rethought everything they knew, adding modern tech like the panoramic displays and dynamic welcome lights. The all-new Kia Telluride X-Pro, built for the greater. Learn more at Kia.com. Hey, now, before we get started, here's a quick reminder. If you're enjoying the president's daily brief, and frankly, how could you not? I think nine out of ten podcast listeners enjoy the PDB.

And you want to listen to an ad-free experience? Well, become a premium member at PDB Premium.com. In addition to getting the morning and afternoon briefs ad-free, you'll also get access to our regular Ask Me Anything episodes, the weekly PDB intelligence checklist, and other subscriber-only shows. Again, just head on over to PDB Premium.com to join. It's Thursday, the 26th of March. 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, Tehran moves fast to replace a top official killed in recent strikes, installing an individual from their security apparatus with a hardline reputation, underscoring just who appears to be calling the shots in Iran. Later in the show, Russia's latest drone barrage spills into NATO territory, as Estonia and Latvia report airspace violations during a major attack on Ukraine, Plus, the U.S. has quietly ramped up fuel shipments to Cuba's private sector, signaling a new

strategy to assist the citizens of Cuba while undercutting the communist leadership. And in today's back of the brief, looking to add a few attack drones to your shopping cart? Well, who isn't? Apparently, Iranian Shahed-style attack drones are now showing up in online marketplaces. But first, today's PDB spotlight. Iran has moved quickly to fill one of the most critical vacancies in its leadership, appointing former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohamed Bakr al-Zokadr as the new head of the Supreme National Security Council. He's replacing Ali Laranjani, who until his demise during recent U.S. Israeli strikes, had effectively emerged as the man running the show in Iran.

Now, this may look like a routine succession. One leader goes, another one comes in, but in reality, it doesn't. does tell us something important about where power in Iran now resides. Zokadr is not a technocrat or a political compromise candidate. He's a longtime insider of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, a hardliner who spent decades inside Iran's security and enforcement apparatus. He's held senior roles across the system from the Interior Ministry where he oversaw internal security to the Armed Forces General Staff

and also advising the judiciary on crime prevention. He's also been tied to hardline political movements, helping organize conservative electoral blocks aligned with the regime's ideologues. And when you place someone like that at the center of the Supreme National Security Council, the body coordinating Iran's military and foreign policies, you're not just filling a vacancy, you're reinforcing the reality that Iran is now being run more than ever by its security apparatus, specifically the IRGC. Today I want to take a look at who's actually still standing inside Iran's leadership.

We'll start with the big picture. Iran is no longer operating like a traditional top-down theocracy. The system built under Ali Khomein, where ultimate authority flowed clearly from the Supreme Leader down through political and religious institutions, has been badly disrupted. In its place, what's emerging looks much more like a wartime command structure, with overlapping centers of power and far less clarity about who's actually in charge. At the center of that shift is the IRGC, which has now solidified its position as the most powerful force inside the Iranian system. That trend has been building for years, but the recent

strikes that killed off key figures, including Larajani, have accelerated it dramatically. If the IRGC, then, is the muscle, then the Supreme National Security Council, the body that Zulkater now runs, is the brain trust. The council is responsible for coordinating Iran's military strategy, intelligence operations, and foreign policy. It brings together senior government officials, Intel chiefs, and top IRGC commanders, all operating under the formal authority, supposedly, of the Supreme Leader. But in practice, decisions are now being shaped and likely driven by the security apparatus itself. And that brings us to the man who, at least officially, sits at the top of the system as the new Supreme Leader, Moshab of Hamini, the Claude Rains of Supreme Leaders. For those of you,

too young to remember, Claude Raines, it's worth the Google search. Mustafa inherited the title after his father's death, but his actual grip on power seems to be very much in question. As we've reported earlier this week, he hasn't appeared publicly since taking the role. For now, he appears to be more of a symbolic figure than an active decision-maker. One name to watch closely is Mohamed Bacher Galiboff, the current Speaker of Parliament and a former IRGC commander. He's widely seen as one of the more influential political figures still standing. He's been mentioned as a key intermediary as the U.S. continues to explore talks with the regime. Some reporting indicated that the U.S. was engaged in discussions with Kalibov, reporting that

the parliament speaker immediately denied, doubling down and then firing off more incendiary statements about possible Iranian retaliatory strikes. And even if he is engaged in some level of conversation with U.S. administration representatives or mediators, Kalibov is hardly a reformist or a moderate. He's a hardliner, known, among other things, for leading chance of death to America during sessions of parliament. Then there's Abbasarachi, the country's top diplomat and a familiar face in negotiations with Washington. He's likely to play a role in any future talks, but more as a messenger than a decision-maker. The real strategic calls are not being made at the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Next we've got Masud Peschkin, Iran's elected president, and I use the term elected loosely. Peschkian appears to have been sidelined pretty early in the conflict. Shortly after releasing an official statement apologizing to Gulf neighbors for Iranian missile and drone strikes, he was heavily chastised and criticized by hardliners within the regime for looking weak. And even as he released his apology to Gulf states, the Iranian military and IRGC were continuing the attacks on their neighbors. He quickly walked back his apology and really hasn't played much of a role since. That disconnect tells you just about everything you need to know about where he stands in the current power structure. Posseschian, through his misguided apology to the Gulf States, was signaling restraint,

while the military, specifically the IRGC, kept executing attacks across the region. Now, that's not a unified chain of command, as you might imagine. That's a system where the political leadership is no longer driving events. To be fair, Posseschian was never meant to be a wartime commander. He came into office promising to be something of a reformer, which of course in Iran is a relative term, someone who would ease tensions abroad and stabilize things at home. But in Iran's system, the presidency has always been subordinate to the Supreme Leader, and now increasingly to the security apparatus.

Pull all this together, and what you're left with is not really a single leader at all, but a network, a mix of IRGC commanders, political operators, some clerical figures, and security officials, all interacting through institutions like the Supreme National Security Council, and all ultimately aligned around one core objective, keeping the regime alive and maintaining their kung fu-like grip on power. That creates a real challenge for Washington, of course. President Trump said it himself this week, quote, nobody knows who to talk to. And even if U.S. officials identify the right person, there's no guarantee that that individual actually has.

the authority to deliver on any agreement. All right. Coming up next, Russia's latest drone barrage spills into NATO territory. And the U.S. quietly ramps up fuel shipments to Cuba's private sector, an effort to undercut the regime from within. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, whether you're in a one- or two-income household, if you're a breadwinner, you're carrying a lot of responsibility. You know what I'm talking about.

Mortgage payments, tuition, everyday bills that don't just do. disappear should something happen to you or your partner. But thinking about it, thinking about the what ifs in life, well, that can be overwhelming. But I'm here to tell you that taking steps to protect your family financially is now a lot easier than it used to be. It's why I recommend Ethos Life Insurance. That's Ethos. It's fast, it's easy, and it's 100% online. You get a quote in seconds, you apply in minutes, and you get same-day coverage up to $3 million. Some policies are as low as $30 a month. Business insider named Ethos,

the number one no medical exam instant life insurance provider. And they've got 4.8 out of five stars on Trust Pilot. Protect your family with life insurance through Ethos. Get your free quote in minutes at ethos.com slash PDB. That's ethos.com slash PDB. Once again, ethos.com slash PDB. Application times and rates may vary.

How many discounts does USAA Auto Insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount. Safe driver discount? New vehicle discount. Storage discount. How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usaa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. Welcome back to the BDB. I want to walk you through what's unfolding along NATO's eastern border because

Russian drones have now crossed into Estonia and Latvia, again bringing the war in Ukraine to the alliance's territory. Both countries reported incursions on Wednesday. coming on the heels of one of Russia's largest drone attacks since the war began four years ago. According to Estonia's Internal Security Service, a drone crossed the border from Russia and slammed into a power station. Then just hours later, Latvia reported a drone crashing inside its territory, and this one causing no damage, and no casualties were reported from either incident. The incursions followed a massive aerial assault on Ukraine.

In what began Monday evening, Russia launched nearly 8,000 drones. according to Ukraine's Air Force, with more than 550 that afternoon alone. Many of those strikes were aimed at Western Ukraine, areas that sit right along NATO's eastern frontier, with the Russian barrage continuing into Tuesday. In Lviv, about 40 miles from the Polish border, a drone struck a building next to a church in the city's historic center. A second drone hit a residential area, wounding 22 people. Nearby, a maternity hospital was also damaged.

Of course, these are Iranian-designed shahed drones, which are still heavily used by Moscow, and now deployed at a scale that increases the likelihood that some will violate other countries' airspace. As we previously discussed, Iranian-made drones launched by Russia, as well as Russian fighter jets, have increasingly entered NATO airspace throughout the course of this war. In 2025 alone, NATO recorded 18 violations by Russian aircraft, three times the number from the year before. Ukrainian President Zelensky has been warning about this increase, arguing that Russia's war is not just against Ukraine, but against Europe more broadly. He's also been urging allies to strengthen air defenses as these incidents become more frequent.

Ukraine's foreign minister pushed that argument even further, drawing a direct comparison between Moscow and Tehran. He accused Russia of targeting civilian infrastructure in the same way that Iran has across the Gulf and its war with the U.S. Israel, saying, quote, Russia is doing exactly what the Iranian regime is doing, but in the middle of Europe, end quote, calling it further proof that Russia is operating as a terrorist state. His conclusion was direct, this is something that has to be met with strength, not weakness, from Europe, and increased pressure on all fronts against the Kremlin, he was likely referring to further sanctions on Moscow and more Western military aid to Ukraine. Okay, I want to shift the focus to Cuba, where

we're seeing the first real signs of the Trump administration's strategy to squeeze the communist government while giving the island's private sector a lifeline. As we've been tracking here on the PDB, what we're seeing now is a very deliberate setup. The U.S. has cut the Cuban government off from its traditional fuel supplies through an ongoing energy blockade, while at the same time allowing small controlled amounts of fuel to reach privately run businesses. In other words, the regime is still being squeezed, but independent entrepreneurs are being given just enough space to operate. It's important to understand that scale, because the 30,000 barrels of fuel that are now reaching the island does sound significant at first, but it's not when you put it into context. Before this

move from the White House, Cuba needed about 100,000 barrels of imported fuel every single day just to keep the lights on. So what's coming in now is barely a third of that, barely enough to move the needle at a national level. In fact, it's roughly the equivalent of just over one-tenth of a standard medium-sized fuel tanker, and even though shipments are starting to increase week by week, it's still nowhere near enough to stabilize the broader system. So this isn't about solving Cuba's energy crisis, it's about controlling who gets relief from it. Secretary of State Marker Rubio has been very clear about that, saying the Trump administration's policy is designed to put private Cuban entrepreneurs, those not tied to the government or military, in a, quote, privileged position.

Last month, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security formally authorized exports of gas and petroleum products to eligible Cuban private sector entities, effectively opening the door for these shipments to begin. Since then, we've seen at least 61 container ships carrying a mix of goods, including fuel, arrive in Cuba, moving between U.S., European and Caribbean ports. And importantly, a growing number of those shipments are coming out of key U.S. energy hubs along the Gulf of Mexico, or if you prefer the Gulf of America. And this is where you start to see the impact. Private businesses that were initially paralyzed with the fuel shortages are beginning to come back online, such as breadmakers and wholesale suppliers for small urban markets and online grocery

platforms, they're managing to restart operations. At the same time, the broader communist economy remains under serious strain. Public transportation is struggling and electricity generation remains unstable. These sectors depend heavily on state-controlled fuel, and right now, that supply just isn't there. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Cannell repeated recently that his regime has gone three months without receiving fuel. And that acknowledgement is a positive sign for Trump's energy squeeze, as the private sector carve-out comes with strict rules. Fuel brought in under this program, not be resold or redirected to the government or military. American officials have made it clear that if that happens,

licenses will be revoked immediately. Okay, coming up next in the back of the brief, modern warfare meets e-commerce as your head-style drones begins showing up for sale on commercial platforms. Oh, good. More on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, how many of you out there wake up needing nicotine or coffee just to feel normal

in the morning? Or do you need multiple pouches or coffees or energy drinks to avoid midday crashes? Well, here's what I think is a great idea. You should switch to ultra-Pouches. That's ultra-U-L-T-R-A, just like it sounds. They're completely nicotine and caffeine-free, and they deliver smooth, lasting focus using clinically backed neutropics like Infinity PX, Alpha GPC, and B vitamins. There's no jitters, there's no crashes, no withdrawals. You feel more balanced, and here's a bonus, you sleep better. You still get the pouch experience just without the downsides. Amazing for energy, workouts, and recovery. 90% of users saw significant improvements in their overall focus,

trusted by top athletes and entrepreneurs worldwide. Ultra is the ultimate guilt-free pouch, delivering instant focus and mental clarity without nicotine or caffeine. And new customers can use code PDB to get 15% off at takeultra.com. That's take ultra.com for 15% off with the code PDB. After you purchase, well, they'll ask where you heard about them. Do me a favor. Tell them the PDB sent you.

Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever left the doctor's office feeling like you, well, like you got nothing out of it, right? Just standard instructions to eat right and exercise. Oh, well, thanks for that. That's why I want to tell you about a great app out there. It's called Superpower. It's a tremendous app that can help you stay on top of your health.

One lab draw tracks over 100 biomarkers. Their app provides detailed information. on your heart and your liver, your thyroid, hormones, metabolism, even your true biological age. They send a licensed professional to your home, or you can visit a nearby lab. You can essentially access high-end concierge-level care for only $179, using our special PDB discount. Make this the year you stop guessing about your health, with superpower. Not only did superpower reduce their price to just $199, but for a limited time, our PDB listeners get an additional $20 off when you head to Superpower.

Superpower.com slash PDB and use the code PDB. Again, that's superpower.com slash PDB and code PDB at checkout for $20 off your membership. After you sign up, they'll ask you where you heard about them. If you could, do me a favor. Tell them the PDB sent you. Make Mother's Day even more special at Whole Foods Market. Kick off brunch or dinner with quality cheese and charcutory with no synthetic nitrates. Then go seafood. There's an abundance on sale at Whole Foods Market.

where it's all sustainable while caught are responsibly farmed. At the bakery, grab seasonal treats like their strawberry pretzel cream pie, and you can't go wrong with a ready-to-heathe Kish Lorraine, deviled eggs, and fresh-cut fruits to go. Celebrate Mom with Whole Foods Market. In today's back of the brief, it's online shopping run amok. And that is the first time in years that I've used the word amok. A new investigation from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC has uncovered

some rather alarming listings recently seen on the Chinese e-commerce platform, Alibaba. The postings advertised what sellers described as, quote, cruise missile drones and suicide attack systems. Some with specifications that closely resemble the Iranian-made Shahad drones that we have often discussed on the show. According to ABC, these systems were often disguised as commercial drones, marketed on the surface for things like aerial photography or agricultural spraying. But in PDF's sales catalogues obtained by the outlet through Alibaba, the same platforms were described in much more explicit terms. One supplier's catalog described their drone as a kind of autonomous, quote, cruise missile, equipped with thermal imaging AI guidance, while another

noted their systems were capable of autonomously striking targets, including people, vehicles, buildings, and even ships. One listing described a smaller drone as suitable for pesticide spraying, but the catalog detailed that it is capable of carrying a two-kilogram payload over distances of roughly 100 kilometers. Others, larger fixed-wing systems, had dimensions and performance characteristics that appear strikingly similar to Iran's Shahed 136. That's the one-way attack drone that's been used extensively by both Russia and Ukraine and by Iranian forces across the Middle East. Another seller identified by ABC advertised a range of what they called small kamikaze-a-kazi-drae. drones, as well as aerial delivery drones depicted carrying mortar rounds. Now, ABC was not able to independently verify that these sellers were legitimate or capable of

delivering the systems as advertised. And after being alerted to the listings, Alibaba says it removed the posts and suspended the accounts, stressing that their policies prohibit the sale of military equipment. Well, that seems reasonable. But the broader concern goes well beyond a handful of listings. Unlike traditional weapon systems, Many of these drones are considered dual-use, platforms that can be sold legally for commercial purposes, but can also be converted for military use. That makes them far harder to regulate. China, which supplies more than 70 percent, did you know that 70 percent of the world's commercial drones,

claims to restrict the export of high-performance components and officially prohibits supplying weapons to active conflict zones. Well, as long as the Chinese Communist Party says so, I'm sure we can take them at their word. But ABC reports that some suppliers suggested those restrictions can be worked around by classifying drones as commercial products. And given the number of Chinese manufactured drones we've seen used in Ukraine, the CCP's export controls don't appear to be very stringent. In conversations with ABC, one supplier said they hoped to sell to the Ukrainian and Western battlefields, while arguing these systems were not technically weapons because they were sold unarmed. Another dismissed responsibility for how the drones might be used. saying, quote, after the customer makes a purchase, what they use it for has nothing to do with us,

end quote. Well, that's quite the retail slogan. Basically, the blurring of commercial and military technology is making drone proliferation far harder to control, with experts telling ABC that drone access has turned into a, quote, international free-for-all. And that fact is shaping the battlefield. As we've been discussing on the show, low-cost one-way attack drones have proven effective, not because they're sophisticated, but because they're cheap and can be deployed at scale. U.S. and Allied forces are often forced to use interceptor missiles that can cost up to a million dollars to shoot down drones that may cost as little as $30,000 or much less to produce. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday, the 26th of March.

Now, if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the Pee's D. Afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money.

Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.