The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 23rd, 2026: Trump Calls Off Strikes—Is Iran’s Regime Breaking Apart? & Terror Attack in the UK

Episode Date: March 23, 2026

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: Just hours after issuing a 48-hour ultimatum, President Trump announces a temporary pause on planned strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure, citing “productive” talks with regime officials. But Tehran is denying any negotiations are taking place, raising serious questions about who—if anyone—the U.S. is actually speaking with behind the scenes. Counter-terror police in London are investigating an arson attack targeting ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity. An Iranian-linked group has claimed responsibility, adding a new layer of concern about Tehran’s potential reach beyond the Middle East and into Western cities. 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 American Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. NMLS 182334, https://mlsconsumeraccess.org . APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1881 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB Mars Men: For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off FOR LIFE, Free Shipping, AND 3 Free Gifts at Mars Men at https://Mengotomars.com DeleteMe: Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/PDB and use promo code PDB at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Because behind every headline is a bottom line. Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings, there's a money side to every story. And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. It's Monday the 23rd of March. Welcome to the BDB afternoon bulletin. I'm on Monday. Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, just hours. After threatening devastating strikes on Iran's power infrastructure, President Trump pulls back, announcing a temporary pause following reported talks with Iran. But with Tehran denying any negotiations are happening, what's really going on behind the scenes? Later in the show, counterterror police in London investigated an arson attack, targeting a Jewish charity's ambulances as an Iranian-linked group claims responsibility.

But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We wanted to give you an update on a story that we brought you this morning, President Trump's 48-hour threat over the Strait of Hormuz. As you may have realized by now, a lot can change in just a few hours. The president announced earlier today that he's now postponing any planned strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, including power plants, after what he described as, quote, very good and productive conversations with high-level officials inside the Iranian regime. In a statement posted to Truth Social, Trump said he's instructed the Department

of War to hold off on any military action for a period of five days. That pause, he said, is based on the tenor and tone of those referenced discussions, and it's conditional. If talks break down, he noted that the strikes are still very much on the table. For those of you keeping score at home, this is a pretty significant shift. Just hours ago, we were talking about a potential U.S. campaign targeting Iran's power infrastructure if Tehran didn't move to reopen the strait of Homoos. And now, suddenly, we're hearing about diplomacy, back-channel talks, discussions that, according to Trump, are productive? But that raises the obvious questions. Are there discussions actually happening? And if so, who exactly is the U.S. talking to? President Trump wouldn't say, but new reporting

from the Jerusalem Post, says that the Trump administration has been engaging with Muhammad Bakr Khalifba. Now, Mohammed Bakr Khalifba is Iran's parliament speaker, who notably was one of the officials threatening mass retaliation against energy infrastructure across the region just days ago. He's now being described, at least by the Jerusalem Post, as the, quote, top person the U.S. is communicating with. Now, that's notable because Khalifba is part of Iran's political leadership, which has looked increasingly sidelined since this war kicked off. President Musud Peschekian, for example, has virtually been a non-factor since the bomb started falling, which tells you something about where the real authority may lie right now.

At the same time, Axios is reporting that a broader set of indirect talks is also underway, mediated by several regional players, the usual suspects, including Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan. According to a U.S. source, those countries have been passing messages between Washington and Tehran, over the past two days. We're told that White House envoy Steve Whitkoff has been in contact with Iranian Foreign Minister Abasaraghi through these intermediaries, with discussions focused on ending the conflict and resolving outstanding issues, of which there are a few. Egypt's foreign minister reportedly held a series of calls over the weekend with both sides, along with counterparts from Pakistan, Turkey, and Qatar. So on the surface, some reporting indicates that something

may be happening here, involving someone. But not so fast, because Iran is telling a very different story. Several Iranian outlets, including the IRGC-affiliated Fars news, are flatly denied that any talks are taking place directly or indirectly. One Iranian source told the outlet that there has been no diplomatic contact with President Trump or the U.S. It's the same thing that Iran's foreign minister, Abasuragchi, said just a few days ago when other reporting implied that there were talks happening between Araksi and Envoy Whitkoff. However, in this chaotic and foggy environment, particularly where Iran's leadership has been decimated and leadership does appear to be in flux, there is the chance that Iran's right hand doesn't know what its left hand is doing,

meaning at this point it's possible that the Iranian system is no longer a single unified decision-making body. It may be more of a collection, the competing power centers, political leaders, the foreign ministry, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, all with their own priorities, their own messaging, and in some cases their own agendas. So it's entirely possible that U.S. officials are speaking with certain high-ranking figures inside the Iranian government, while other factions either aren't involved, don't agree with the outreach, or are actively trying to undermine it. And publicly, of course, Tehran has every incentive to deny that talks are happening at all, admitting that they're engaging with Washington.

and under pressure, especially after issuing threats, would be seen as a sign of weakness. So instead, you project strength and you say there are no talks. Of course, at this point, there's no clear way to verify exactly who is talking to whom, if anyone is talking, or how serious these discussions really are. But what we do know is how the markets are reacting. Investors clearly see this as a potential de-escalation moment. Following the president's announcement, stock surged. U.S. futures tied to the S&P 500 and the Dow jumped around two and a half percent while London's footsee 100 also moved higher. At the same time, energy prices dropped as traders began to bet that Iran may ease its pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and that the risk of a

broader disruption to global oil supply could be coming down, which of course could be the primary goal of President Trump's declaration that there are productive talks underway and that he's backing off the 48-hour ultimatum. Okay, coming up next, an arson attack hits a Jewish charity's ambulances in London, with an Iranian-linked group claiming responsibility. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me ask you a question about your personal finances.

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an area with one of the largest Jewish communities in the United Kingdom, where in the early hours of the morning, Emergency crews responded of reports of vehicles on fire near the Maksiki Havas Synagogue. Now, the vehicles belong to Hatsola, which is a volunteer-run Jewish emergency service that provides free medical response across North London, and it appears that four of their ambulances were deliberately set on fire. This claim came from investigators, citing CCTV footage that shows three hooded suspects pouring some type of accelerant onto the vehicles before lighting them and fleeing. the scene. Yeah, well, look, I'm no Inspector Clouseau, but I believe that seems like a clue.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said police are actively searching for those three individuals. The blaze extended beyond the vehicles. As the fire spread, oxygen canisters inside the ambulances began exploding, damaging nearby homes and forcing dozens of residents to evacuate. No injuries were reported, though the exploding canisters initially raised concerns about possible explosive devices on the scene. British authorities classified the incident as an anti-Semitic hate crime. Well, it seems about right. And while it has not been formally designated as a terrorist attack, counterterrorism officers are leading the investigation, underscoring the seriousness of the suspected motive and the potential

for broader connections. Scotland Yard said it is aware that a group has claimed responsibility online, but emphasized that the claim has not yet been verified. British leaders have been quick to respond, as Prime Minister Kier-Starmer called it a, quote, deeply shocking anti-Semitic arson attack. The UK's chief rabbi described it as a, quote, sickening assault, not only on the Jewish community, but on shared societal values, end quote. But attention is now turning to who may be behind the attack. Police say, of course, there was a claim of responsibility circulating online, though again, it remains unverified. It's linked to a group calling itself the Hattakhab Yamin al-Islamia. Details are limited, but what we do know is that the group appears to be new, allegedly,

sometime this month. Its name translates to, quote, the Islamic movement of the companions of the right, and its messaging has been distributed through telegram channels associated with Tecrane-backed militias, including networks tied to Hezbollah and other terror groups aligned with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In its claim to the vehicle blaze this morning, the group released a video featuring text in Hebrew, English, and Arabic, alleging that the synagogue is a significant center of Orthodox Judaism with deep ties to Israel, using that connection, to justify their attack. That framing aligns with broader anti-Semitic narratives seen across Iran-aligned networks.

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described the group as a, quote, jihadi organization tied to an Iranian proxy. But I want to point out again that the connection has not been independently confirmed. Still, the group's structure, messaging, and distribution channels closely resemble those of established Iran-linked proxies. Now, it's not the first time that the group has claimed responsibility for an attack. They claimed responsibility for multiple attacks targeting Jewish sites across Europe, now four in total. Just last week, four teenagers linked to the group were arrested following an explosion outside a synagogue in Rotterdam, Netherlands,

with several attackers later detained near another synagogue in the city. So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the London attack. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday the 23rd of March. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB. at thefirstTV.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, well, you can do that. It's very simple. Become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting PDB Premium.com.

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