The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 11th, 2024: Top Iranian General Arrested? & Putin's Partnership With Tehran

Episode Date: October 11, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:   We’ll begin with the ongoing internal turmoil gripping Iran, as reports emerge that the head of the IRGC’s elite Quds Force has been detained over suspicions of involvement in Israel’s infiltration of Hezbollah. Then, Russian President Vladimir Putin is cementing Moscow’s close military and economic ties with Iran, meeting with the Islamic regime’s new president for the first time Friday, while promising to create a "new world order" of allies to counter the west. 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.  Email: [e-mail].  Patriot Gold: Call 1-888-870-5457 for a free investor guide. Say Mike Baker sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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as the IRC's elite Quds force has been detained over suspicions of involvement in Israel's infiltration of Hezbollah. Then, Russian President Putin is cementing Moscow's close military and economic ties with Iran, meeting with the Islamic regime's new president for the first time Friday, and promising a further expansion of bilateral trade. Now, it's not exactly clear what Iran is getting out of this relationship, But I suspected it rhymes with weapons technology transfer. But first, our afternoon spotlight. I want to begin in Iran, which has been gripped by paranoia, panic, and mistrust over fears of Israeli infiltration

following Jerusalem's systematic and rapid destruction of Hezbollah's operations over the past several weeks. Not to mention, of course, the assassination of Hamas senior official Ishmael Hanye, while he was in a guarded IRGC compound in Tehran. Yeah, that would create some paranoia. Now, reports are emerging that one of the country's top generals, the head of the Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite goods force, has been detained as the regime probes his potential involvement in Israel's infiltration of Hezbollah

and the assassination of the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, according to a report from the times of Israel. The general in question, Esmail Kaani, has not been seen in public for several weeks, following a trip to Beirut, two days after the airstrikes had killed Nasrallah on September 27th. Rumors swirled in recent days that he had been killed in an airstrike last week, the one that took out Hashim Safedin, and he was Nasrallah's likely successor, but Arabic media outlets subsequently reported that Ghani had been actually detained and, quote, subject to surveillance and isolation by the IRGC.

Well, I know I'm being pedantic, but, you know, frankly, if he has been detained, then really you don't need to surveil him. Maybe something was lost in translation. Kani was allegedly supposed to meet with Safedin in a bunker at the time of the deadly strike last Thursday. Oh, his conspicuous absence from the bunker reportedly raised suspicions among Iranian leaders prompting his detention. And, hey, fellas, look, I'd love to be part of this top secret bunker meeting, but I'm stuck in traffic.

I tell you what, go ahead and get started without me. Officials inside the Islamic regime say they're convinced that Nasrallah and other key leaders were assassinated due to high-level infiltration of their top brass by Israeli intelligence. A source close to Hezbollah told Middle East Eye earlier this week, quote, The breach was 100% Iranian and there is no question about this part. end quote. Unnamed sources told the times of Israel that Kaani is currently under house arrest and being questioned by people under the direct supervision of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Chamini. Sky News Arabic and several other regional outlets also reported that Kaani has suffered a heart

attack during his interrogation. Now, we should stress that these reports are all unconfirmed. Inside Iran, IRGC commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami dismissed the story. in a statement to state media. I mean, not that we're giving his denials much weight. But he claimed Kaani was in perfect health. Hey, he's doing great. And was slated to receive a military honor. We are giving him a trophy from the Supreme Leader in the coming days.

That doesn't sound sketchy at all. Iran would hardly be eager to admit, obviously, such an embarrassing security breach. As the leader of Iran's extraterritorial Kudzvors, Kani served as a key go-between for Iranian leaders and their network of proxies. As you might imagine, if in fact he was compromised, well, the implications for the regime would be deep and wide.

But it may just be indicative of the mistrust currently pervading all levels of Iran's government. As we've previously discussed, Iran was left in a state of paranoia over likely Israeli infiltration following Israel's targeted operations to degrade Hezbollah. Their anxieties intensified, after Israel detonated thousands of communications

devices laced with explosives and carried by Hizmala fighters back on the 17th of September, followed by the rapid assassination of their top brass. The IRGC has since been furiously investigating possible infiltrations within their own ranks, examining everyone from senior security officials to commanders within the IRGC. Counterintelligence investigations do tend to cast a wide net and implicate a lot of people at the outset. The reality is, though, the Iranian regime doesn't know who to trust within their own ranks. The IRGC is particularly concerned over the safety of Khomey, who has largely been staying inside a secure location in Iran since the assassination of Nisrallah. The country is also, of course,

bracing for Israel's expected retaliation to Iran's massive missile attack from last Tuesday. sources have told Reuters that Khomeini's paranoia has spiraled and he, quote, no longer trusts anyone, end quote. Coming up, Russian President Putin is further cementing Moscow's close military and economic ties with Iran, meeting with the Islamic regime's new president for the first time Friday. I'll be right back. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin.

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our attention now to Iran's deepening ties with Russia as Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masud Peschkian have their first face-to-face sit-down meeting. The pair convened at a regional summit in the capital of the Central Asian country of Turkmenistan on Friday, where they hailed their military partnership and promised an expansion of bilateral trade. Putin expressed admiration for the Iranian regime, saying he shares a, quote, very close worldview with his Iranian counterpart. Really? So what part of that worldview does Putin share? The part about wiping Israel from the map, the part about the U.S. being the great Satan? Maybe the part about squashing democracy and suppressing free speech and human rights?

Well, yeah, I guess I do see the similarities. They are like two peas in a pod, aren't they? For his part, Peschian said their relations were growing, quote, stronger day by day, according to a report from CNN. Iran and Russia have a de facto military alliance due to their mutual support of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, with both countries increasingly isolated by international sanctions, well, they have become even more dependent on one another. As we've discussed at length on the program,

Iran has served as a key ally for the Putin regime as they wage their war on Ukraine, providing thousands of Shahed attack drones and more recently short-range ballistic missiles. There are even reports that Iran has built a drone factory inside Russia to aid in their war effort. Russian officials also reportedly, think they can learn a thing or two from Iran on how to more effectively evade Western sanctions.

Iran, meanwhile, receives technical assistance from Russia on their various weapons programs, and there is growing concern among Western intelligence agencies that they're also aiding in the development of Iran's nuclear program, and by that I mean, of course they are. An analyst with the UK think tank Chatham House told CNN, quote, Since Ukraine, the two countries have been more equal in terms of both needing each other and relying on each other on specific issues. And that, I think, has been seen as beneficial from the Iranian side, end quote. Well, really, for any relationship to last, both parties need to benefit. The two countries are seeking to expand bilateral trade

and economic cooperation and accelerate strategic joint projects. But their increasingly close ties obviously could spell trouble for any hopes of regional stability in the Middle East. As we discussed earlier this week, reports have emerged that Victor Boot, the notorious Russian arms dealer, known as the Merchant of Death, there's a nickname, is brokering a deal to send weapons to Yemen's Iran-backed hooty terrorists, who continue, of course, to attack Israel directly and wreak havoc on commercial ships and western navies in the Red Sea. Russia, to no one's surprise, has dismissed those reports as fake news. But analysts say Putin stands to be. benefit from continued conflict in the Middle East as it takes the international focus off of his

war in Ukraine. At the summit on Friday, Putin stated his intent to create a, quote, New World Order of Kremlin allies to counter the West. He invited Peszegian to attend the upcoming Brick Summit in Russia in late October, where the two countries are expected to sign a comprehensive strategic agreement. Now, combine that with Putin's bromance with North Korea's Kim Zhong-un and his supposed limitless partnership with China's Xi Jinping, and you've got yourself a real evil, league of evil. Without those relationships, without the economic and military support that those leaders provide to Putin, well, Russia would have been forced to end its invasion of Ukraine a couple of years ago. Given the current state of the Russian economy and the insatiable

needs of his costly war on Ukraine, Putin has no choice but to court. Iran, China, and North Korea with cheap oil and gas and weapons, space, and satellite technology assistance. It's really the only way he keeps his war machine going. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday, 11 October. If you have any questions or comments, please, reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And of course, set your watches for 10 p.m. this evening, when a new episode of the PDB Situation Report hits the airwaves on the first TV in full technicolor moving pictures and stereophonic sound. It's very exciting. Also available on our YouTube channel, which frankly everyone is raving about. That's at President's Daily Brief.

And all podcast platforms where you get your podcast stuff. I'm Mike Baker. Now I'll be back over the weekend with our extended weekend show, the PDB Situation Report. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money, whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.