The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 12th, 2026: Mojtaba Khamenei Issues First Message & Iran Launches Cyberattack on U.S. Company

Episode Date: March 12, 2026

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: Iran’s new supreme leader breaks his silence. Mojtaba Khamenei issues his first message since taking power after the death of his father, declaring the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed and warning that Iran will continue targeting U.S. military bases across the region. The war with Iran may be expanding beyond the battlefield. A major U.S. medical technology company is hit by a suspected Iranian cyberattack that disables thousands of employee phones and laptops, raising concerns that Tehran may be opening a new digital front in the conflict. 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 Ridge Wallet: Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code PDB at https://www.Ridge.com/PDB#Ridgepod StopBox: Get firearm security redesigned and save 10% off @StopBoxUSA with code PDB10 at https://stopboxusa.com/PDB10 #stopboxpod BRUNT Workwear: Get $10 Off at BRUNT with code PDB at https://www.bruntworkwear.com/PDB #Bruntpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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warning that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed and threatening continued attacks on U.S. bases across the region. Later in the show, the war with Iran may be expanding beyond the battlefield. A major U.S. medical technology company is hit by a suspected Iranian cyber attack, knocking thousands of employee devices offline. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Moshtaba Khomeini, has broken his silence, or at least has issued a written statement, or, well, at least, Iranian state media issued a statement claiming it's from Khomeini. Perhaps a more trusting person would take their word for it.

Iranian state media on Thursday broadcast what it described as the first message from the country's new leader since he assumed power after the death of his father. As noted, the message came in an unusual form. Chhameney didn't appear on camera. Instead, the statement was read aloud by a news anchor on Iranian state television while an image of the new Supreme Leader appeared on screen. Still, the message itself was clear enough, regardless of who wrote it. The statement declared that Iran intends to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, calling the move a, quote, tool of pressure against the U.S. and its allies, and for that, Khomeini, or whomever wrote the statement, receives today's PDB statement of the obvious award. As we've been reporting, the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most critical shipping lanes in

the world, with roughly 20% of global oil shipments normally passing through that narrow waterway. choking off the strait has become a central part of Iran's strategy in the war. In other words, the message was that Iran intends to keep up the pressure, not just on the battlefield, but on global energy markets and the broader regional security environment. The statement also included fresh warnings aimed at U.S. forces in the region. It said Iran will continue targeting American military bases across the Middle East and called on Gulf countries hosting those bases to remove them entirely. Hamini, or whomever, also praised what Iran calls the resistance front, the network of proxy groups

that Tehran has cultivated across the Middle East. The statement specifically thanked Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Khuti rebels in Yemen, and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, urging them to continue fighting alongside Iran. And it sounds like an award ceremony accepted speech. Ooh, I'd like to thank my agent, the rebels in Yemen, of course my publicist, and a big thank you to my militia bros in Iraq." End quote. Okay, that wasn't an actual quote. The statement also referenced the strike earlier this month on a girl's school in the southern Iranian city of Manab. Iranian officials say the attack killed more than 180 people, including many children. The U.S. military has said it's investigating whether an American missile may have struck the school. The White House has stated

that it was an Iranian, not an American missile. At least they stated that initially, but the investigation is ongoing, and it's not determined yet, which says. side is responsible. However, the statement vowed revenge for the victims, saying Iran would be especially sensitive to what it described as the blood of our children. Finally, the message paid homage to the former supreme leader, Mushhtab al-Hamani's father, describing him as a, quote, mountain of strength. Now, to be fair, there wasn't much in this statement that should surprise anyone. The themes were largely familiar. Iran intends to keep the straight-up Hormuz under pressure. It plans to continue targeting U.S. forces in the region, and it's encouraging its network.

of proxy militant groups to remain engaged in the fight. So, despite the dramatic leadership changed in Tehran, the broad outlines of Iran's strategy appear unchanged. At the same time, one major question remains unanswered. Despite supposedly issuing this message, Mouhtab al-Khameney still has not been seen or heard publicly since the war began. There are, of course, a few possible explanations for that. First, as Iran's new supreme leader, he is now a declared target in the conflict. Tehran may simply be keeping his location and movement secret for security reasons. Second, Iranian state media has acknowledged that Moshah Bhamani was injured during the early days of the war in the same strike that killed his father. However, they've offered few additional details.

It's possible the regime is choosing to keep the full extent of those injuries quiet. But the reality is that outside of intelligence reporting, there's no way to know exactly what is happening behind the scenes in Tehran. Anything beyond those basic facts, It would be speculation. All right, coming up next, Iran may be opening a new digital front in the war. A major U.S. medical technology company is hit by a suspected Iranian cyber attack, knocking thousands of employees' phones and laptops offline. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here.

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Your style can make you cash. Start selling on Deepop, where taste recognizes taste. Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin. As Iran searches for ways to retaliate against the U.S., the regime may be opening another front, this time in cyberspace. A major cyber attack disrupted operations at an American medical technology company and what hackers say is a response to the U.S. campaign. The company targeted in the attack is Stryker. It's a Michigan-based medical manufacturer that produces everything from joint implants to robotic surgical systems.

The company employs approximately 56,000 people, and suddenly, many of them found their work devices had stopped functioning. Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, employees began reporting that their corporate phones and laptops were suddenly wiped or disabled. Devices running Microsoft Windows operating system were no longer functioning, leaving staff locked out of key systems and services. And that's what it quickly became clear that this was not a routine technical issue. The disruption was widespread enough that Stryker instructed employees to disconnect from company networks and avoid turning on corporate devices while engineers worked to determine what had happened. According to the Wall Street Journal, an internal message to employees at the medical technology company warned staff not to click on suspicious links, yes, that's always a good

piece of advice, and advised them to remove corporate device management software even from their personal phones. Source is familiar with the breach said internal login screens had been replaced with the logo of a hacking collective known as Handala. So, what do we know about Handala, this hacking group? The group emerged around 2022 and presents itself as a pro-Palestinian hacking collective. Its claim responsibility for a series of cyber attacks targeting Israeli companies and organizations across the Gulf. Several threat intelligence firms say the group is linked to Iranian state-backed cyber operations, though the attackers often portray themselves as independent activists to obscure those ties. In this case, the group quickly claimed responsibility for the striker breach. In a message

posted to its telegram channel, Handala said the attack was retaliation for a supposed U.S. strike inside Iran that state media says killed more than 160 children at an elementary school. The Pentagon is said to be investigating that incident. If you've been following our coverage here on the PDB, you know Iran's retaliation has largely been taking place across the Gulf. Iran has launched missile and drone strikes, of course, against U.S. military bases, fired rockets toward Israel, and threatened and has since attacked, commercial shipping moving through the straight-up Hormuz, causing global oil prices to skyrocket. But the attack on striker suggests the regime may now be widening its response. In other words, American companies could increasingly find themselves in the

crosshairs. An official at the White House said that the Trump administration is closely monitoring potential cyber threats tied to the conflict and coordinating responses with federal law enforcement and infrastructure protection agencies. And although Iran's cyber capabilities are generally considered less sophisticated than those of other American adversaries like China or Russia, analysts say that the regime's hackers remain capable of carrying out significant disruptive attacks. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday the 12th of March. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at BDB at thefirstTV.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, it's very, very simple. Just become a premium

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