The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 10th, 2025: Report: China Is Already Rearming Iran & Putin Turns To Foreigners To Fight In The Russian Military
Episode Date: July 10, 2025In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First—Iran is working quickly to rearm and rebuild their missile defenses following the 12-Day War with Israel, and they are getting a major ass...ist from China. We’ll have the details. Later in the show—in a bid to avoid another politically explosive draft as the war in Ukraine drags on, Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing foreigners to enlist in the military. 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 DeleteMe: Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text PDB to 64000. Message and data rates apply Lean: Visit https://TakeLean.com & use code pb20 for 20% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Looking to diversify and protect your hard-earned assets?
Well, schedule a free consultation with Birch Gold Group.
Now, Birch Gold is the precious metals specialist.
Just text PDB to the number 989-89-89, and you receive a free, no-obligation information kit,
and you'll learn how to convert an existing IRA or 401k to a gold IRA.
Again, it's simple.
Just text PDB to the number 989-89-89.
It's Thursday, the 10th of July.
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, Iran moves to rebuild military infrastructure destroyed by Israel during the recent
12-day war, and it appears, here's a surprise, that they're getting a big assist from China.
Who could have guessed?
We'll have those details.
Later in the show, in a bid to avoid another politically explosive draft as the war in Ukraine
drags on, Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on.
allowing foreigners to enlist in the military.
You know, I'm starting to think that Putin isn't really interested in peace.
It's just a nagging suspicion.
But first, today's afternoon spotlight.
Under the cover of the current ceasefire between Israel and Iran,
the battered Islamic regime is working quickly to rearm and rebuild their missile defenses,
and it appears that their friends in China are lending a major helping hand.
According to an exclusive report from the Middle East eye,
China has provided Iran with advanced surface-to-air missile batteries or SAMs over the past two weeks,
marking a major expansion of the growing military ties between two of America's top adversaries.
But China isn't helping Iran rebuild their defensive capabilities for free.
No, it's not a pro bono effort.
Arab officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive intelligence
said the Mullahs are paying for the missile systems with shipments of sanctioned oil.
seems right. It's worth noting that Iran's illicit oil trade with China is nothing new. As we've previously
discussed here on the PDB, China is now the dominant buyer of Iranian oil with Chinese companies
purchasing more than 90% of the regime's exports last year. Global sanctions have left the mullahs
with few buyers of their crude, and China stepped in to fill the gap in demand, getting the oil
at a steep discount when compared to global prices. Typically, however, the CCP, the Chinese Communist
party buys the oil exclusively in Chinese currency, which forces the Iranians to spend the profits
on Chinese goods. Under their new arrangement, however, it appears that China is simply paying for the
oil with advanced military hardware, opening an alarming new chapter in their alliance.
One Arab source told the Middle East eye, quote, the Iranians engage in creative ways of trading,
end quote. The report adds that America's Arab allies are actively tracking the Iranian regime's
efforts to, quote, back up and reinforce their air defenses. The White House has also been
informed of the arrangement with China and is closely monitoring Turfran's progress.
What's not yet clear is how many surfaced air missile batteries China has provided to Iran
since the fragile truce with Israel was reached back on the 24th of June. But any assistance
will go a long way towards bolstering the regime's capabilities. As PDB listeners are well aware,
During the 12-day war, Israel dealt significant damage to Iran's military hardware, decimating
their air defenses, destroying vast stores of Iranian munitions, and eliminating roughly 40% of Iran's ballistic
missiles launchers.
But it's not just missile defenses that the Iranians are after.
According to a report from Newsweek, Iran is also seeking to procure China's J-10 multi-role fighter jets,
and they're already engaged in high-level discussions with the CCP to strike a deal.
The Chinese fighter aircraft recently proved themselves in combat during the confrontation
between India and Pakistan in May, when Pakistan claimed to have used those fighter jets to
shoot down several Indian fighters. While China has not directly commented on the discussions,
a spokesman for China's Ministry of Defense said Tuesday that they are willing to, quote,
share the achievements of its equipment development with friendly countries. That's nice.
The reports have also alarmed Israeli officials who called on China to exert.
pressure on the Iranians to rein in their military ambitions.
The Consul General of Israel in Shanghai said, quote,
China is the only one capable of influencing Iran.
They can pressure Iran.
They can help change its malign activities in the region, end quote.
While China certainly has leverage over the Iranian regime,
as their oil purchases represent about 6% of Iran's entire economy,
don't expect China to necessarily act responsibly.
The CCP is already denying
the reports about providing the service to air missile batteries, claiming they firmly oppose
the proliferation of such weapons systems and never export arms to countries engaged in warfare.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy told Israel Hyaom, quote,
the embassy finds the contents of the report to be incorrect. As a matter of principle,
China firmly opposes the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems,
end quote. Now, the spokesman also added that China, quote, maintains strict control
on the export of dual-use items. That, of course, could be considered a, well, it's called a laughable
statement given their active trade with Russia of dual-use technology that's being used in Moscow's
war on Ukraine. Despite Jainis denials, Iran is clearly moving rapidly to rebuild their military
infrastructure. While a ceasefire with Israel continues to hold, it's clear that significant
challenges still lie ahead for the Trump administration when it comes to ensuring that Iran
can't once again threaten regional stability.
Up next, Vladimir Putin avoids another politically unpopular draft in his country
by signing a decree allowing foreigners to enlist in the military.
I'll be right back.
Hey, Mike Baker here.
I want to take just a few moments to talk about your online security.
Look, right now, the headlines are chalkful of data breaches and regulatory rollbacks,
making us all vulnerable.
But here's the thing.
You can do something about it.
I want you to check out a business called Delete Me.
Delete Me is here to make it easy, quick, and safe to remove your personal data online.
Delete Me, constantly monitors and removes your personal info from data broker's sites,
sending regular reports so you know exactly what's been found and deleted.
Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Delete Me.
And now you get a special discount for PDB listeners.
Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to deleteme.com slash brief, that's B-R-I-E-E-S.
and use promo code brief at checkout.
Again, the only way to get that 20% off
is to go to deleteme.com slash brief
and enter the code brief at checkout.
That's deleteme.com slash brief code brief.
Mike Baker here.
Let's talk weight loss, shall we?
I mean, after all, it is swimsuit season.
Now, have you heard of Karoluma?
It's an edible cactus from India,
and it's a natural appetite suppressant.
Karoluma is one of the powerful natural ingredients.
in a remarkable weight loss supplement called Lean, L-E-A-N, Lean.
If you're aiming for bold summer weight loss, but you want to avoid injections,
and frankly who doesn't want to avoid injections,
the doctors behind Lean say that this supplement is the closest they've come
to the benefits of those popular injections.
Lean helps maintain healthy blood sugar, control cravings, and burn fat
by converting it into energy.
There's no needles, just real results.
It's smart, natural weight loss with Karoluma.
Let's get you started with 20% off.
Just use code PDB20 at takeleen.com.
That's code PDB20 at takelein.com.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease
and is not a substitute or alternative for care from a health care provider.
Get tickets Thursday, May 7th at Olivia Rodrigo.com.
Wireless can feel like a world of traps, but not with Visible.
It's one-line wireless with unlimited data and hotspot.
Powered by Verizon for $25 a month, taxes and fees included.
Plus, for a limited time, new members pay just $20 a month for one year on the Visible plan.
Using the code Fresh Start.
Refresh your wireless with Visible.
Tap the banner to switch today.
Terms apply, limited time offer subject to change. See visible.com for plan features and network management details.
Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. In a move that signals Moscow's desire to avoid pissing off the Russian population with too many drafts or conscriptions, Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed a decree, expanding military enlistment to include foreigners.
Well, how magnanimous of Putin. He's giving foreigners the opportunity to take part in his meat grinder invasion. What a fellow. Until now, non-Russians could,
only joined during states of emergency or martial law, conditions that officially still don't exist,
despite the three and a half years of full-scale war. You have to remember, Putin and his minions
still refer to that war as a special military operation. But under the new rules, foreign nationals
can now enlist during any mobilization period, giving the Kremlin a possible way to pad its
ranks without triggering another domestic meltdown like the one that took place in 2022. That
That 2022 order sparked a stampede for the border, with over 261,000 Russians fleeing the country
in just a few weeks. Instead, this latest decree allows the Kremlin to stock up on international
manpower while maintaining a facade of business as usual at home. Now, it doesn't stop with the military.
The decree also opens the door for foreigners who surpassed the typical military age limit
to sign contracts with Russia's most sensitive security agencies, namely the
Foreign Intelligence Service and the Federal Security Service. All of it adds up to a strategy
aimed at keeping the war machine humming without causing another run for the borders by Russians
not overly keen to participate in Putin's military adventures. Now, that doesn't mean that the
Kremlin isn't still in the business of drafting their own citizens. They're just doing it in smaller
doses. Back in March, Russia held its spring draft, conscripting 160,000 men in what was widely seen as an
attempt to bolster the ranks while avoiding the optics of a full-blown mobilization. Meanwhile, quieter
recruitment tribes have continued in parallel, especially among foreign nationals. According to a UK
Ministry of Defense Intelligence Update, more than 1,500 foreigners signed up between April 23 and May of
2024. Of those, over 707, he hailed from South and East Asia, with others drawn from former Soviet
republics and various African nations. Many were enticed with signing bonuses and promises of fast-tracked
Russian citizenship. The UK report revealed the tactic would likely continue, quote, over the medium
term. But British analysts were quick to note the obvious. The numbers are still small, and this won't
dramatically change the face of Russia's fighting force, not while the Kremlin is simultaneously
accelerating traditional elicement to support its grinding summer offensive. According to,
Keeves' general staff, Russia has lost more than one million troops killed or wounded since the
invasion began, and the current tempo? Well, about 1,000 Russian casualties per day, as Moscow attempts
to punch through entrenched Ukrainian defenses along the front line. So while the Kremlin
townships its expanded enlistment policies, the reality is somewhat starker, as Russia appears
to be scraping the barrel for new conscripts, and it's now looking abroad for assistance. Of course, we didn't
even mention the thousands of North Korea soldiers sent by little rocket man to service cannon
fodder in Putin's ongoing invasion. As we've reported, Pyongyang sent upwards of 12,000 troops
in the initial deployments, and Intel reports indicate that at least half of those troops are now
casualties of the war. And during the past week, reports surfaced that North Korea may be sending
some 30,000 additional troops, as Moscow continues its sputtering summer offensive. And that, my friends,
is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday the 10th of July.
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com.
And of course, as you've no doubt seen on billboards all around town,
to listen to the show ad-free, just become a premium member of the president's daily brief
by visiting PDB Premium.com.
I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow.
Until then, stay informed.
Stay safe. Stay cool.
All. Pay off your home. Travel for life.
drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the
world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot
slot machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort
and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person
a $1.6 million dream package.
The biggest prize in Yamava's history.
Club Serrano members can earn daily instant
prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29.
Don't pass go and own it all.
Only at Yamava, celebrating its 40th anniversary.
You win? Details at yamava.com
must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly.
Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor
of this promotion.
