The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | February 27th, 2025: Iran Reportedly Bracing For US-Israeli Strike & North Korea Doubles Down In Ukraine

Episode Date: February 27, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:   First, Iran is reportedly growing anxious that Israel and the U.S. will move to take out its nuclear facilities, as the regime floors the gas on their enrichment of near weapons grade uranium. Later in the show, we’ll look at reports that North Korea is gearing up to send more soldiers to the front lines of Russia’s war on Ukraine, despite suffering heavy casualties on the battlefield. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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will move to take out its nuclear facilities, as the regime reportedly accelerates their enrichment of near-weapons-grade uranium. According to an exclusive report from the British Telegraph, leaders in Tehran have placed the country's nuclear facilities on high alert and deployed additional air defense systems around key nuclear and missile sites to guard against potential joint military action by the U.S. and Israel. Their preparations follow warnings from U.S. intelligence last month that Israel may target Iran's nuclear facilities by the middle of this year in order to deal a death blow to the regime's regional ambitions. Leaders in Israel reportedly see Iran's nuclear sites as uniquely vulnerable due to the collapse of their once strong network of proxy groups over this

past year. It's also worth noting that Iran's missile defenses were heavily weakened by retaliatory air strikes launched by Israel last fall. A high-level government source who spoke to the telegraph said, quote, they're just waiting for the attack and are anticipating it every night and everything has been on high alert, even in sites that no one knows about, end quote. A second source added, quote, several additional launchers have been deployed, but there's an understanding that they may not be effective in the event of a large-scale strike. The report also comes on the heels of comments made by Israeli foreign minister Gideon Tsar earlier this week, who said, quote, a reliable military option is needed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, echoing Prime Minister Netanyahu,

who was promised to put an end to Iran's nuclear ambitions. But Saar warned that time is running out, saying the Iranian regime is currently playing with ways to weaponize their existing stockpile of enriched uranium, an outcome, he said, would have a hugely destabilizing impact on the Middle East and kick off a nuclear arms race with other regional powers, such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey. According to a confidential UN report reviewed this week by the Wall Street Journal, the Iranian regime has vastly increased their stockpile of highly enriched uranium in recent weeks and now has enough to produce at least six nuclear weapons. They've amassed more than 600 pounds of 60% enriched uranium as of February 8th,

that's up from roughly 400 pounds in October. Experts say these stockpiles could be further enriched to the weapons grade level of 90% within a matter of days. Despite their mounting concerns about a potential strike on their nuclear sites, Iran remains as defiant as ever. On Tuesday, after President Trump reimposed aggressive sanctions on Iran's shadowy oil trade as part of his maximum pressure campaign, Iran's foreign minister issued a statement vowing that the regime will not negotiate on their nuclear program under pressure and sanctions from the Trump administration. While President Trump has stated a preference for a reaching and diplomatic solution with Iran, he's also left the door open for military action in partnership with Israel. Trump's national security advisor, Mike Walts, recently stressed that, quote, all options remain on the table and that the U.S. will accept nothing less than the full dismantling of Iran's covert nuclear program.

Up next, we'll look at reports that North Korea is gearing up to send more soldiers to the front lines of Russia's war on Ukraine. I'll be right back. Not loving your AT&T or T-Mobile bill? Yeah, we've been hearing that a lot. Good news. Bring your AT&T and or T or T-N-T mobile bill to Verizon and we'll give you a better deal. So get away from that unfortunate phone bill and get to Verizon. Run, ride, canoe. Whatever it takes, we'll be here. Bring your AT&T or T-RT mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better

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Jong-yang has apparently doubled down, dispatching thousands more soldiers to reinforce Russia's front lines. While the exact number of troops in the new deployment remains uncertain, a report in a South Korean newspaper, citing anonymous sources, suggests that up to 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent via military cargo planes and ships. Their arrival marks a renewed commitment from Pyongyang, which has now funneled significant manpower into Russia's war machine. Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed that North Korean troops returned to active combat zones, a claim echoed by South Korea. Korea's intelligence agency, which stated, quote, following a month-long lull, North Korean troops were

placed back in the frontline region of Kursk, starting in the first week of February, end quote. As we've reported here on the PDB, the latest deployment follows North Korea's initial commitment of approximately 11,000 troops to Russia late last year. Now, those forces fought alongside Russian units in Kursk in an effort to retake lost territory. In addition to its soldiers, Pyeong Yang has for some time now supplied Moscow, of course, with artillery shells, missiles, and other conventional weapons further bolstering Russia's battlefield capabilities. But according to Ukrainian and American officials, North Korean units, despite being drawn from elite special warfare divisions, actually struggled in modern combat. By January, they had suffered an estimated 4,000 casualties

and were withdrawn from the front lines. Even so, military analysts suggest that, Pyeongyang sees this war as an invaluable opportunity to gain practical experience in contemporary warfare. The problem? Well, the problem is that North Korean forces remain poorly equipped for the technological and strategic complexities of the conflict. Now, despite multiple intelligence reports confirming their presence, neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has publicly acknowledged the deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine. I know that's a surprise. That silence extends. to broader military cooperation between the two countries, which, according to South Korean intelligence officials, has deepened in troubling ways. In exchange for its support,

Pyongyang is reportedly receiving food, oil, and concerningly advanced military technology, significantly accelerating its own weapons development programs. Meanwhile, the head of Ukraine's Defense Ministry's main intelligence directorate stated on Sunday that North Korea has become one of Moscow's primary weapon suppliers, now providing roughly half of Russia's artillery ammunition. In addition, Jiangyang has reportedly delivered 170-millimeter self-propelled howitzers, 240-millimeter multiple rocket launchers, and nearly 150 ballistic missiles, deepening an alliance that has drawn sharp warnings from Western defense officials. Well, I for one am shocked that Kim Jong-un has not heeded the sharp warnings from Western defense officials.

Perhaps they should draft a harshly worded memo and see if that gets Kim's attention. This surge in military reinforcements comes as Russian and American officials meet in Istanbul for a second round of peace talks. While details of the talks remain few and far between, Moscow's continued expansion of its military capabilities suggests, well, little intention of de-escalating the war in Ukraine. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday, 27 February. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com.

And just in case you were wondering what the PDB staff is currently up to, well, the answer is they're slaving away on the very latest episode of our much-loved, I guess you could call it beloved, weekend show, the PDB situation report. As always, the new episode will launch Friday evening at 10 p.m. on the first TV, and of course can be found on our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief, and as you're no doubt aware, podcast platforms everywhere. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

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