The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 9th, 2026: Special Forces Raid Inside Iran? & Man Found Guilty of Iran-Backed Assassination Plot

Episode Date: March 9, 2026

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: Airstrikes may have crippled Iran’s nuclear infrastructure—but eliminating the nuclear material itself could prove far more complicated. We examine new reporting that the United States and Israel are weighing special operations missions inside Iran to secure roughly 450 kilograms of highly enriched uranium before it can ever be turned into a nuclear weapon. A federal jury in Brooklyn has found a Pakistani national guilty of plotting to assassinate American politicians—including President Donald Trump—in a scheme prosecutors say was backed by Iran. The man now faces the possibility of life in prison. 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 BUBS Naturals: Live Better Longer with BUBS Naturals. For A limited time get 20% Off your entire order with code PDB at https://Bubsnaturals.com American Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.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. Ridge Wallet: Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code PDB at https://www.Ridge.com/PDB #Ridgepod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, air strikes may have crippled Iran's nuclear infrastructure, but eliminating the stockpile of already enriched uranium could prove far more complicated. We'll take a look at new reporting that the U.S. and Israel are weighing special operations missions to secure Iran's uranium. Later in the show, a federal jury in Brooklyn has found a Pakistani national guilty of plotting to assassinate American politicians, including President Trump, in a scheme backed by Iran. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. One of the big questions hanging over the war with Iran right now isn't just about airstrikes or missile launches. It's about what happens after the bombing stops. Much of the

discussion so far is focused on regime change, what Iran's leadership might look like if the current government collapses and how the country might be governed when the fighting ends. Well, the regime has gone some ways in answering that by declaring they have a new supreme leader. Apparently, they don't see regime change as in the cards. But there's another objective in this campaign that may prove just as complicated, eliminating Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons. While destroying nuclear facilities from the air is an important part of that effort, it's not the same thing as eliminating the nuclear material that already exists. So the next question becomes, how do you actually secure the stockpile of enriched uranium that's held somewhere inside Iran? Well, according to new reporting from

Axios, U.S. and Israeli officials are discussing the possibility of sending special operations forces into Iran at a later stage of the conflict to secure the regime's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. And we're not talking about a small amount of material. Before the war began, Iran was believed to possess roughly 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity. That's about half a metric ton. Now, that's not quite weapons grade, which is generally 90%, but it's dangerously close. With the right equipment, that stockpile could potentially be enriched to 90% in a matter of weeks, enough material for upwards of 11 nuclear weapons.

Now, air strikes have already done serious damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure. U.S. and Israeli attacks targeted key facilities, Adnitans and Isfahan and Fordo, destroying centrifuges and, in some cases, collapsing or sealing the entrances to underground complexes. But here's the complication. Those strikes may have shut down Iran's enrichment program for now, but they didn't necessarily destroy the uranium itself. Much of that material is believed to be sitting underground, particularly. particularly at the nuclear facility in Isfahan, where officials say the bulk of the stockpile

was stored inside hardened tunnels. And that creates a strange strategic problem. The uranium may now be trapped beneath rubble or behind closed entrances, but it still exists, which raises the question if the goal is to ensure that Iran never turns that material into a weapon, well, someone eventually has to secure it. And that's where these discussions about special operations come in. According to U.S. officials, planners have explored the possibility of sending small teams of special operators into Iran once the country's military is no longer capable of mounting serious resistance. These wouldn't be large ground forces or anything resembling a conventional invasion. The teams could potentially include American or Israeli special forces working alongside scientists

or technical experts, possibly even personnel from the International Atomic Energy Agency. agency. The mission would be straightforward in theory, but obviously extremely complicated in practice. First, operators would have to locate the material and then secure the site. And then comes the question of what to do with it. One option would be to physically remove the uranium from Iran and transport it out of the country, obviously under tight security. The other possibility would be to dilute the uranium on site, essentially blending it down to a lower level of enrichment. so that it could no longer be used in a nuclear weapon. Both options, as you may suspect, present major challenges.

Handling highly enriched uranium requires specialized equipment in careful procedures, and any operation would be taking place inside a country that, even if severely weakened, would still technically be an active war zone. Officials involved in the discussions say this scenario would resemble something along the lines of the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. or other precision missions carried out by special operations of forces. Although, that is, it would appear, over simplifying the complex nature of this potential operation. The Bin Laden rate did not occur in an active war zone, although it was a challenging environment,

did not involve accessing material buried underground, did not require a team of scientists on site, and did not involve needing to be on the ground for an extended period of time. The timing, of course, would also be critical. U.S. officials, say any such mission would likely only be considered after Iran's air defenses, missile forces, and command structures have been significantly degraded. The goal would be to reduce the risk, of course, to the teams involved and ensure Iran couldn't mount an effective response. President Trump has also hinted at that possibility.

Speaking to reporters over the weekend, the president said deploying ground forces was not currently on the table, but he also did not rule it out. If we ever did that, he said, they would be so decimated that they would not be able to fight on the ground level, end quote. Well, not to sound negative, but the air campaign won't decimate the Iranian IRGC or armed forces ground strength to a significant degree, and they, in all likelihood, will have already concentrated forces around their prized nuclear installations. For now, the idea remains one option among many, but it highlights an important reality about this conflict. It's one thing to destroy facilities and degrade a regime's capabilities from the air. It's something else entirely to secure what's left behind on the ground.

And when it comes to Iran's existing stockball of enriched uranium, that final step may eventually require someone to go in and get it. But no one should underestimate just how complicated that scenario could be. Coming up next, a Pakistani National is found guilty in New York of an Iran-linked plot to assassinate American political figures, including Donald Trump. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, here is the painful truth, right? We are all getting older. I know. Who waits to hear that? And sometimes getting older can hit hard, right? I'm talking about joints, skin, recovery time after workouts. You know what I mean? Look, it happens to everyone. And that's where Bubbs, Naturals, collagen peptides come in. Bubbs supports joints and hair, skin, and even nails. And it's easy to make it part of your daily routine. I just mix it into my morning coffee. There's no taste. There's no sugar, no sweeteners, no filthes, no fill. It's third-party tested, NSF certified for sport, Whole 30 approved, sustainably sourced from grass-fed cattle. Come on, what's not to like about all that? And Bubbs is trusted by over 100,000

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And the winner, by knockout, is Hatternay. Hatternay, bring it on. Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin. A federal jury in Brooklyn has convicted a Pakistani national in what prosecutors say exposed an Iranian-back plot to assassinate American political leaders, including President Trump. The man at the center of the case is 47-year-old Asif Merchant. After a week-long trial in federal court, jurors needed less than two hours to find him guilty of attempted terrorism, transcending national boundaries as well as murder for hire.

He now faces the possibility of life in prison. Beyond the fact that the alleged targets included the president and other American politicians, Prosecutors say the case is so severe because of who investigators believe was really behind the plot. Prosecutors told the jury that Merchant's scheme was directed by members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, and what emerged during the trial offered a rare glimpse into how prosecutors say that kind of operation can take shape. Evidence presented in the courtroom showed Merchant allegedly working to assemble a plan that went far beyond just a single act of violence. Prosecutors say the scheme involved recruiting criminals to steal sensitive government security documents, staged disruptive protests at political rallies, laundered money, and ultimately assassinate high-ranking American political figures.

Prosecutors say three names surfaced as targets during those planning conversations, the president, former President Joe Biden, and former South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley. Investigators say merchants' motivations were tied to the killing of Iranian General Kassan, Soleimani. Solomani was the commander of Iran's Quds Force and was killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2020, ordered by President Trump during his first administration. According to prosecutors, Merchant became enraged after that strike. Social media posts made by the Pakistani National, introduced as evidence, showed him praising Soleimani and calling for what he described as, quote, severe revenge. And prosecutors say that the relationship that set the plot in motion began several

years later. Merchant testified that in 2022, he was recruited by an IRGC official after traveling frequently to Iran. According to his testimony, he received counter-surveillance training and instructions to travel to the U.S. and recruit individuals who might be sympathetic to the regime. But what prosecutors say Merchant didn't realize was that the plan would begin to unravel almost as soon as he tried to put it into motion. A Pakistani-American acquaintance eventually reported Merchant to authorities and began cooperating with investigators as an informant. That individual secretly recorded a series of conversations with Merchant as the alleged plot developed. And one of those meetings took place inside a hotel in Queens,

where prosecutors said Merchant even outlined the assassination plans while sketching elements of the scheme on a napkin. Another meeting happened at a restaurant on Coney Island. During that conversation, prosecutors said Merchant tried to reassure the informant that taking part in the operation would not vote. violate Islamic religious rules. Investigators say the operation reached a critical moment when merchant provided $5,000 as a down payment for the supposed hitmen who would carry out the assassinations.

But those individuals were not criminals nor sympathetic to the regime. They were undercover FBI agents, authorities arrested merchant in July of 2024. Prosecutors say the case provides a rare look inside what they describe as Iranian efforts to orchestrate attacks targeting American officials both abroad and inside the U.S. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, the 9th of March. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. To listen to the show ad-free, well, you can do that. It is very simple.

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