The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 30th, 2025: Iranian Unrest Explodes & North Korea Goes Nuclear at Sea

Episode Date: December 30, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: Pressure is building inside Iran, where a collapsing economy has driven protesters into the streets, merchants have shut down key markets, and security forces are struggling to contain growing unrest that is turning increasingly political. Later in the show—North Korea unveils what it claims is its first nuclear-powered submarine, a massive vessel comparable in size to some United States Navy attack subs, raising new questions about Pyongyang’s undersea ambitions. 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 Glorify: Feel closer to God this year with Glorify—get full access for just $29.99 when you download the app now at https://glorify-app.com/PDB.  Stash Financial: Don't Let your money sit around. Go to https://get.stash.com/PDB to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking to diversify and protect your hard-earned assets, well, schedule a free consultation with the Birch Gold Group. They're the precious metal specialists. Just text PDB to 989-898, and you'll receive a free, no-obligation information kit, and you'll learn how to convert an existing IRA or a 401k into a gold IRA. Again, text PDB to 989-89-89. It's Tuesday, the 30th of December. 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 up, pressure is building inside Iran, where a collapsing economy has driven protesters into the streets and security forces are struggling to contain the unrest. I'll have the details. Later in the show, North Korea has unveiled what it claims is its first nuclear-powered submarine,

a vessel equal in size, reportedly, to some of the U.S. Navy's attack subs. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. It's a story we've been watching closely here on the PDB, the simmering unrest inside Iran, and based on internal reports and outside observers, it's beginning to look like that simmer may be starting to boil over. How's that for wordplay? Over the past several days, protests have erupted across Iran, spilling into major cities and commercial hubs, including Tehran itself. Crowds have taken to the streets, shops have closed their doors, and security forces have responded with tear gas and batons and mass deployments of security personnel onto the streets. Videos circulating online show chaotic

scenes, smoke hanging over city streets, protesters scattering and regrouping and chanting slogans, they go well beyond simple economic grievances. This isn't just another flash protest, of which there have been many over the years, all of which have fizzled out in short order under the aggressive and brutal response from the Mullahs and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC. What we're saying now appears broader, more coordinated, and more politically charged than many of the demonstrations Iran has faced in recent years. At the center of the unrest is the collapse of the nation's economy. Iran's currency has plunged to historic lows, gutting purchasing power and wiping out savings almost overnight. Inflation is soaring,

prices for basic food items, fuel and household goods are, climbing fast. For ordinary Iranians, well, the math simply doesn't work anymore. Now, one of the most significant developments here is where the protests are happening. Demonstrations have spread beyond student groups or isolated neighborhoods. Merchants in Tehran's Grand Bazaar, a place with deep historical and political significance, have shut their stalls in protest. And that matters because when the bazaars close, it signals that unrest has moved from the margins into the core of Iranian society. The chance tell another important story. Protesters aren't just demanding lower prices or economic relief. Many are openly targeting the leadership itself, with slogans

aimed at the regime and top figures. That shift, from economic anger to political defiance, is one that Tehran takes very seriously. Security forces certainly appear to be taking it seriously. Riot police and internal security units have been deployed in force, tear gas, and has been used repeatedly to dispersed crowds, there are reports of beatings, arrests, and intimidation tactics designed to deter people from returning to the streets, and that is their familiar playbook. But there are signs that the regime is under unusual pressure. The resignation of Iran's central bank chief amid the currency collapse is one example. So are hints in some official statements that the government may be open to, quote, dialogue with protesters.

and that's not something that Tehran typically offers unless it's feeling boxed in. The bigger question is whether this unrest represents another cycle, protests, repression, and a return to uneasy calm, or something more consequential. As mentioned, Iran has seen waves of unrest before. The protests following the death of Masa Amin in 2022 are a recent example. Those demonstrations were widespread and emotionally powerful, but the regime ultimately crush them through force and arrests and fear. This time, however, the underlying pressure points look even more severe

and more of the population is directly affected. The economy is weaker. Sanctions continue to bite and oil revenues are constrained. Infrastructure problems, power shortages, a severe water scarcity, are leading to growing public frustration. And its recent conflict with Israel, apparently has shaken confidence in the regime's ability to provide stability or security at home. There's also the issue of legitimacy. For decades, Iran's leadership has balanced repression

with a promise that it could at least manage the basics of daily life, jobs and subsidies and stability. When that promise collapses along with the currency, anger tends to spread quickly. Still, it is important to be clear-eyed here or pragmatic. The Islamic regime in Tehran is unlikely to disappear overnight because of some protests. Its security apparatus remains powerful, loyal, and experienced in suppressing dissent.

The IRGC, which is the guarantor of security for the Mullas, well, they have their hooks in every sector of society and the economy. Regime change would dry up their revenue streams and their authority. So, obviously, the IRGC has a great deal at stake, and they've got a little downside to sticking with their playbook of crushing dissent. There's no indication, at least not yet. that the regime is on the brink of collapse. So far, this is just pressure, not a revolution. But it is real pressure. The protests are spreading geographically. The demands are sharpening

politically, and the regime is being forced to respond on multiple fronts at once. For now, the streets remain contested. Protesters are testing just how far they can push. Security forces are testing how much force they need to apply. And Iran's leadership is trying to decide whether repression alone will be enough this time. All right, coming up next, Pyongyang shows off what it says is its first nuclear-powered submarine, signaling a potentially major leap in North Korea's naval capabilities. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, as we move into the new year, which of course is just around the corner, many of us are looking to build more intentional lives, right, to live deliberately and better aligned with our purpose and values. And that's why I want to tell you about

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North Korea last week released images of what it claims is its first nuclear-powered submarine, signaling that one of the regime's most ambitious military projects may be nearing completion. The photographs themselves, well, they tell much of the story. Released by state media, they show North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspecting a massive guided missile submarine inside an indoor construction facility. And that detail matters as the vessel has not yet been launched, suggesting, of course, that it's not quite operational. But it does signal that Pyongyang believes it's far enough along to show the world what it's building. Now, we touched on this in today's back of the brief, but it's worth slowing down and taking a closer look at what the images

actually reveal. State media claims that the submarine displaces roughly 8,700 tons. That's places it in the same weight class as U.S. Navy Virginia-class attack submarines. If that figure is even close to accurate, it would represent a jump for the North Korean Navy, which has long relied on aging, conventionally powered vessels with limited endurance and survivability. For Kim, the idea is hardly new. He first laid out plans for a nuclear-powered submarine at a ruling Workers Party Congress back in 2021, folding it into a five-year military modernization plan. What has changed is the environment around him. South Korea received a green light from the Trump administration in October to pursue its own nuclear-powered submarines. That's a shift that injected urgency into Pyongyang's timeline

and probably sharpened Kim's sense of competition. It goes without saying that the appeal of a nuclear-powered submarine is obvious. Unlike diesel-powered subs, they can remain submerged, almost indefinitely, constrained only by crew endurance rather than fuel. Nuke-powered submarines are typically faster, quieter, and harder to detect, making them ideal platforms for long-range strike missions. It's a capability possessed by only a handful of nations, including the U.S., Russia, China, France, the UK, and India. And Kim has made clear how he intends to frame this capability. According to the regime's Korean Central News Agency, he argued that quote, super-powerful offensive capability is the best shield for national security.

State media following that line accused South Korea's submarine ambitions, which I mentioned were backed by U.S. support, of threatening North Korea's security, which, of course, from their perspective, requires a response. While inspecting the submarine, Kim said the construction was, quote, a leap forward in Korean naval power. Now, in reality, Seoul, South Korea, fields some of the world's most capable guided missile destroyers and modern conventionally powered submarines. Still, North Korea's advantage, if it has one, may be timing. South Korea has wanted a nuclear-powered submarine for years,

but was boxed in by a longstanding agreement with Washington. Following President Trump's green light, building one could still take Seoul at least a decade. By contrast, last week's images suggest Pyongyang may be close. The submarine could already house a nuclear reactor, leaving only integration, testing, and launch. And that could be accelerated by Kim's growing relationship with Russia's Vladimir Putin. This may be a perfect case study in how North Korea is benefiting from a closer relationship with Russia since Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Kim's willingness to provide Moscow with ammunition and weaponry and troops,

well, that hasn't been a pro bono effort. Part of the payback has been increased weapons technology transfer to the Hermit Kemp. Kingdom. And that, my friends, is the BDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday, the 30th of December. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at BDB at thefirsttv.com. Of course, to listen to the show ad-free, it's really very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting bdb premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars.

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