The President's Daily Brief - September 18th, 2025: Netanyahu Plans For ‘Super-Sparta’ Israel & Iran Warns of “Crushing” Response

Episode Date: September 18, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Israel’s Prime Minister admits the country is increasingly cut off from the world and warns it may need to transform into a self-reliant “super-Sparta” to survive. Fresh U.S. sanctions spark a sharp warning from Tehran, with Iran saying America could face a “crushing” military response. A suspect is in custody after what officials are calling a targeted terrorist attack on the FBI’s Pittsburgh office. And in today’s Back of the Brief—we’re learning more about the proposed TikTok deal, with a U.S.-led group of tech giants poised to take control of the app’s American operations. 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/@presidentsdailybriefStash Financial: Don't Let your money sit around. Go to https://get.stash.com/PDB to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase.Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Birch Gold Group. They're the precious metal specialists. 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 a 401k into a gold IRA. Again, text PDB to the number 989-89-89. It's Thursday, the 18th of September. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes. and ears on the world stage. And yes, yet another random hotel background for the Where's Wally Tour, still on the road. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Israel's Prime Minister admits the country is increasingly cut off from the world and may have to transform into what he's calling a self-reliant, quote, Super Sparta to survive. I'll have those details. Later in the show,

Fresh U.S. sanctions spark a sharp warning from Tehran. Iran says America could face a, quote, crushing military response. I don't think that word means what they think it means. Plus, a suspect is in custody after what officials are calling a targeted terrorist attack on the FBI's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania office. And in today's back of the brief, we're learning more about the proposed TikTok deal. Oh, there's that TikTok again, with a U.S.-led group of tech giants poised to take control of the Apple American operations. We'll let you know who's in on the big sale, and if you'll still be able to get those excellent raccoon videos. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We talk a lot on the PDB about the day after for Gaza. In other words, what does governance and stability look like once the

fighting is finally done? Who runs Gaza? How is order kept, and what role do international actors play? But there's another question that isn't asked quite as often, and that is, what does the day after look like for Israel? Once its campaign against Hamas is over, will Israel return to the same country that it was before the 7th of October attacks? Or will it come out the other side as something fundamentally different? Well, we're getting a little insight into what the Israeli government is preparing for, thanks to some recent statements by Prime Minister Netanyahu. Speaking at a finance ministry conference earlier this week, Netanyahu acknowledged that Israel is increasingly isolated on the world's stage. He said the country may have to develop what he called, quote, autarkic characteristics. Now, in plain English, self-sufficiency, and compared

Israel's future to that of a quote, super Sparta. Now, that phrase immediately set off alarms. There's a little history for you. I'm sure you probably already know it. Sparta was a highly militarized city state in ancient Greece, remembered more for discipline and war than for trade or the culture it produced. To describe modern Israel in those terms suggests a shift toward a fortress economy, one less integrated into global markets and more reliant on internal resilience and military strength. Netanyahu's comments drew swift criticism. Opposition leaders called the idea lunacy. Business executives warned it would damage Israel's quality of life and undermine its growth engine exports. The head of the Manufacturers Association said, quote, without global trade,

Israel cannot thrive. The high-tech sector, which makes up roughly half of Israel's exports, warned that isolation could cripple innovation and choke off foreign investment. Netanyahu quickly tried to soften his message. He insisted he still believes in open markets and said Israel isn't about to become a wartime economy cut off from the world, but he didn't walk away from the idea entirely. Instead, he stressed that Israel has to prepare for a harsher global environment, one in which sanctions, boycotts, and diplomatic pressure could make the country more reliant on itself. So what exactly does this Super Sparta vision look like? According to Netanyahu, it means doubling down on Israel's defense industries and ensuring the country can supply

its own weapons in case foreign partners cut off shipments. It also means investing in what he called, quote, influence operations, spending more on media and messaging to push back against what he described as a hostile international press. It's worth remembering the context here. Israel's Warren Gaza has already strained many of its relations abroad. European governments are applying pressure. The UN has issued accusations of genocide, and even Washington has faced domestic calls to curb military aid. Netanyahu's comments suggest he's bracing for more of that pressure, and trying to prepare Israelis for the possibility of an economic and diplomatic squeeze that lasts beyond the war. But there's another angle here, the historical one.

In the past, Israel has always tried to balance its identity as a small nation under siege with its role as a global trading hub, especially in high tech. Now, think about it, Israel is often called the, quote, startup nation. It's built a reputation as one of the world's most innovative economies, heavily dependent on foreign capital. and international cooperation. Shifting to Super Sparta mode risks undermining that brand, potentially at a huge cost. Still, some analysts argue that Netanyahu is simply stating the obvious. Israel is already becoming more isolated, whether it wants to or not. Tourism has collapsed, global markets are jittery, and protests in Western capitals are pushing governments to rethink their ties. In that sense, Netanyahu may be preparing Israelis for a reality that's already

unfolding. So the real question is this. What does, quote, the day after look like for Israel? Does it emerge from this war more isolated, more militarized, and more self-reliant, Sparta with F-35s? Or does it manage to maintain its role as a globalized trade-dependent economy and democracy, one that can still attract forward investment and international support? For now, we only have hints. But Netanyahu's Super Sparta line may be the clearest signal yet that Israel's leaders believe their country could look very different when the guns finally fall silent. All right. Coming up next, Tehran threatens a crushing response to new U.S. sanctions, and a suspect is in custody after a terrorist attack on the FBI's Pittsburgh office.

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Welcome back to the PDB. Iran faces the imminent reimposition of UN sanctions after European ministers said Wednesday's talks with the Islamic regime showed no signs that the Mullahs are willing to comply with nuclear obligations. As our regular PDB listeners will recall, at the end of August, Britain, France, and Germany, better known as the E3, triggered a 30-day process under resolution 22, 31, more commonly referred to as the snapback mechanism. That process would automatically restore the full suite of UN sanctions codified under the 2015 nuclear deal if Iran fails to meet the demands of restoring access for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and returned in nuclear talks with Washington.

And those sanctions, well, there are no slap on the wrist. We're talking about a sweeping arms embargo, outright bans on ballistic missile development, restrictions on nuclear-related technology and across-the-board travel bans and asset freezes that would gut the regime's financial banking and defense sectors. The E3 even dangled a lifeline, willing to postpone the sanctions for six months if Tehran allowed inspectors back into its nuclear sites and engaged with the Americans. But that offer has gone nowhere. IAEA inspectors haven't set foot inside Iran's bombed-out enrichment sites since June,

when Israel and the U.S. struck them. No international body can say how large Tfran's uranium stockpile currently is, though Western intelligence believes it far exceeds civilian needs. Despite the facts laid out by the E3, Tehran insists it is cooperating responsibly with the IAEA, pointing to a vague accord reached in Cairo last week, as we've discussed here before. But Western officials dismiss that deal as toothless, with no deadlines and no enforcement mechanism,

just the way the Iranian regime likes it. Nor has Tehran shown in. appetite for direct talks with Washington since the June air strikes. Iranian foreign minister Abasaraji told state media that the regime is approaching the issue with a, quote, responsible approach and urged Europe to prevent a so-called, quote, avoidable crisis. But Berlin wasn't buying it. Germany's foreign minister warned that sanctions will snap back absent, quote, concrete actions in the coming days. Diplomats across Europe, and even in Tehran, now acknowledge that the reimposition is the likeliest outcome.

Washington isn't standing still either. This week, the Treasury sanctioned two Iranian nationals accused of funneling $100 million in crypto tied to oil sales and procurement networks to the IRGC and Defense Ministry. Their American assets were frozen, and U.S. citizens and companies are barred from any dealings with the duo. Treasury Undersecretary John Hurley vowed that the Trump administration will keep dismantling the regime's funding pipelines,

while the President has repeated his goal of driving Iran's oil exports quote, to zero. The Mullah's response, well, it's defiance. In Iranian senior Army General, warned on state media that while strikes on Israel and the U.S. operated Al-Udid Air Base in Gutter have been the regime's main lever,

quote, future conflicts could spread to new battlefields, considering Washington's sanctions and Europe's countdown to the snapback mechanism. He vowed that the enemy will face a crushing and regrettable response, end quote. So, the stakes are significant.

A reimposition would deepen the regime's economic pain, already hammered by sanctions, a worsening water crisis, and June's 12-day war with Israel, which battered its infrastructure. For now, Europe and Iran remain locked in a high-stakes' stair-down as the 28th of September deadline barrels closer. Okay, shifting stateside. A suspect is now in custody after allegedly ramming a vehicle into the FBI's Pittsburgh field office security fence in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday in what the Bureau has labeled an act of terror. The man has been identified as 48-year-old Donald Henson from a township east of Pittsburgh. According to federal agents, he slammed a white Toyota Corolla into a vehicle gate around 240 a.m.

Eastern time, then grabbed an American flag from his car and hurled it at the gate before bolting on foot. I remember when I had my first beer. Despite the chaos, he slipped away, only to be rounded up later in the day and taken into FBI custody. The Bureau in a statement called the assault a, quote, targeted attack against the FBI. And if you're hoping images from the scene shed light on why any of this unfolded, well, you're out of luck. From what multiple news outlets published, all we see as a corolla crumpled against a bent fence with its doors and trunk flung open. Local police used a winch to extract a black bag from the trunk, prompting a bomb squad sweep that ultimately turned up nothing.

Investigators noted strange markings squalled along a car door. which are now under analysis. Assistant Special Agent in charge Christopher Giordano told reporters Henson was not a stranger to the Pittsburgh field office. Weeks earlier, he'd walked into the office to file what Jordano described as a complaint that, quote, didn't make a whole lot of sense. Federal officials are withholding the details of that complaint. Jordano also confirmed Henson once served in the military, though he offered no further information on his record. Still the questions now outnumber the answers. What do the cryptic markings on the Kurola mean, what was Henson's motive, and how exactly did he manage to flee a gate

staffed around the clock by federal contractors? As of Wednesday afternoon, no federal charges had been filed. But the FBI was clear on one point. The Bureau intends to pursue the case, quote, vigorously. All right. Coming up next in today's back of the brief, major U.S. firms could soon oversee TikTok's operations as details emerge on a deal aimed at keeping the app alive in America. More on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment of your time to talk about protecting your hard-earned assets.

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Valley's most powerful venture shops, are set to join Oracle as the spine of this new U.S.-based entity. The board, sources say, would be American-led, with at least one seat reserved for a Trump administration appointee. Current U.S. investors in ByteDance, which is TikTok's Chinese parent, are also expected to roll their stakes into the deal. But the real sticking point is the algorithm. Under the framework, ByteDance would license TikTok's recommendation engine while American user data migrates to Oracle's servers, complications of the 80-20 agreement. In this layout, users would reportedly be nudged

toward a new version of the app as part of the transition. Is this sounding complicated to you? Yes, it is. And Beijing is already spinning the arrangement as a diplomatic victory. The People's Daily, a CCP-run propaganda outlet, proclaimed the deal a, quote, consensus reached with Washington based on, quote, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and a win-win cooperation. Well, that's chummy. But on Capitol Hill, the knives are out. A senior fellow at the Hudson Institute blasted the algorithm licensing carve-out as, quote, likely a violation of the divestment law, which was supposed to sever TikTok entirely from Beijing's reach. Lawmakers from both parties are promising scrutiny to ensure Chinese sway over content moderation and operations is actually, in fact, zero. President Trump signed an executive

order Tuesday, punting enforcement of the divestment law to December 16th. It's the latest in the series of extensions on a ban that was originally set for eight months ago back in January. I'd like to point out that the White House insists the deal isn't final, with one senior official warning that, quote, any details of the TikTok framework are pure speculation unless they're announced by this administration, end quote. So the bottom line is that a framework exists and we now know the consortium behind it, but the fight doesn't seem to be over. Legal challenges loom. Political skepticism runs deep among China Hawks, and the algorithm, the crown jewel of TikTok's success, may still tether the app to Beijing in ways that the divestment law was meant to prevent. And that, my friends,

is the president's Daily Brief for Thursday the 18th of September. 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. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB Premium.com. And as I've mentioned it before, when you do become a premium member, you'll also get access to our brand new special series, The Day the World Almost Ended. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB after. No No. Bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.

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