The President's Daily Brief - September 24th, 2026: Iran Returns to the Negotiating Table as Sanctions Bite & Zelensky Seeks a Winter Arsenal

Episode Date: September 24, 2026

In this episode of The President’s Daily Brief:• Iran’s president says Tehran will not bend to Washington, even as U.S. and Iranian officials resume talks for the first time since June and new American sanctions put growing pressure on Iran’s aviation sector and economy. • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asks President Trump for a winter weapons package as Washington presses for a limited ceasefire focused on Russian and Ukrainian energy infrastructure. • Tensions escalate along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where Pakistani officials accuse Afghan Taliban forces of shelling border posts and launching drones into Pakistani territory—claims Kabul denies. • In today’s Back of the Brief, President Trump wants a drone port incorporated into the new White House ballroom, even though the Secret Service already operates one nearby. 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/@presidentsdailybriefBubs Natural: Live Better Longer with BUBS Naturals. For A limited time get 20% Off your entire order with code PDB at https://Bubsnaturals.comHexClad: Find your forever cookware @hexclad and get 10% off at https://hexclad.com/PDB#hexcladpartner Tax Relief Advocates: End your tax nightmare today by visiting us online at https://TRA.com or call 800-583-6515

It's Thursday, the 24th of September. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Iran says it will not bend to the U.S., but the regime is reportedly negotiating again as new U.S. sanctions squeeze its ability to travel and trade. Later in the show, Zelensky asks Trump for a winter weapons package, as Washington pushing. is a limited Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. Plus, tensions continue to escalate between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Islamabad, claiming that Taliban forces shelled Pakistani border posts. And in today's back of the brief, President Trump wants a drone port built into the new White

House ballroom. I mean, is there really a ballroom without a drone port? However, it turns out the Secret Service already has one operating right next door. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Iranian President Massoud Pasechkin says his country will not surrender to the U.S. Even as Washington increases the economic pressure on Tecrans and the two sides reportedly reopened diplomatic talks for the first time in months. Speaking before the U.N. yesterday, Pazeshkian said Iran would never, quote, bend at the knee to American pressure. His remarks came one day after President Trump used the same forum at the United Nations to warn that the U.S. could, quote, annihilate Iran if the conflict continues. Now, of course, Iran is saying that it's not

going to surrender. No Iranian president is going to stand before the UN and announce that American pressure is working. But at the same time that Peschkian was talking tough publicly, Iran and Washington were talking again privately. According to Reuters, U.S. and Iranian officials held their first known indirect talks since the ceasefire collapsed back in July. A Qatari media spent roughly two hours carrying messages between the two delegations in New York. That sounds like fun. Iran's foreign minister Abasaraghi communicated with U.S. envoy's Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner through intermediaries.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that the two sides remained far apart on how to end the war, but said that diplomacy does need to continue. And those indirect talks are restarting in a moment when the pressure on Tehran is increasing. The American naval blockade has squeezed Iran's ability to export oil and move goods by sea. Tehran's attempt to compensate by pushing more trade overland has run into bottlenecks at its borders, higher transportation costs, and lengthy delays. And now Washington is going after Iran's ability to move through the air. The Trump administration announced earlier this month that Iran's entire air transport sector

would be subjected to sanctions. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson warned that beginning on the 23rd of September, Iranian airlines would face increasing difficulty operating internationally. Those measures took effect yesterday, and countries are already responding. Georgia, the country, not the U.S. state, has banned flights operated by Iranian carriers. Azerbaijan has suspended Iranian airline operations. Iran's Mahan Air suspended flights to Turkey at Ankara's request. Now, Iraq ordered Iranian flights into Baghdad International Airport suspended beginning yesterday,

although Iraqi officials are considering allowing some of those flights to land instead in Najaf, an important destination for Shiite pilgrims. Iran's own civil aviation organization says flights from Tehran to Baghdad as well as Oman were canceled. Iranian officials also say passengers were being prevented from entering the airport in Oman while the two sides worked through the issue. Other Iranian international flights are still operating, including some service to Istanbul and Dubai. Russia and China also continued to accept Iranian aircraft. So Iran is not being completely cut off from international air travel, but the list of places that its airlines can operate is beginning to shrink.

Now, the mechanism Washington is using here is fairly straightforward. Foreign companies that refuel, service, sell tickets for, or otherwise assist sanctioned Iranian airlines, can find themselves facing American secondary sanctions. That forces airports, airlines, and service companies in other countries to decide whether continuing to do business with Iranian carriers is worth risking losing access to the U.S. financial system. For Tehran, this all comes on top of the pressure that we've already been discussing at sea and on land. Iran's reaction suggests officials in Tehran are taking this seriously.

Moussin Razi, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, issued a warning yesterday to neighboring countries considering cooperation with the American sanctions campaign. Rzai said that if neighboring governments prevent Iranian aircraft from using their airports, Iran would make sure those airports, quote, could not function. He did not explain exactly what that meant. All right. Coming up next, Zelensky in Ukraine asks Trump for more weapons as Washington pushes for a limited ceasefire. And Pakistan says Taliban forces shelled border posts and launched drones across the frontier.

I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, well, here's a statement of the obvious, getting older hits hard, right? And we're all getting older. That's kind of what we all have in common. As we age, stiff joints and slow recovery become the new normal. Now, part of the problem is that collagen production starts dropping in our mid-20s, meaning as you age, you start losing the glue that supports your skin and muscles. Now, that's why I use Bub's Natural's collagen

peptide, says Bub's B-UBS, B-UBS, just like it sounds. It restores youthful collagen levels, so you can perform your best. I put a scoop in my morning coffee, it's tasteless, and I started noticing the difference in short order. It really is that simple. Bub's is the gold standard. NSF certified, sugar-free, and sustainably sourced. The name is a tribute to Navy SEAL Glenn Bubb Doherty, and they donate 10% of profits to charity. Bubs also offers premium creatin, MCT, oil, and electrolytes. Now, live better longer. That sounds pretty good, doesn't it? For a limited time only, our listeners are getting 20% off at Bubbs Naturals by using code PDB at checkout. Just head on over to Bubbs Naturals. Again, that's BUBS, Bubs Naturals.com, and use the code PDB, and you're all set. And after you

purchase, well, they'll ask where you heard about them. If you don't mind, do me a favor. Tell them the PDB sent you. This coming winter could put Ukraine's power and heating systems under severe pressure if Russia steps up its infrastructure attacks as it's done in years past. With autumn, officially here, President Zelensky is now trying to get ahead of it. At the UN General Assembly meeting Tuesday, he asked President Trump for a winter arms package, including Patriot anti-missile systems and other defenses. He believes Trump will also try to broker a deal to stop the Kremlin's attacks on energy infrastructure. But Zelensky does not think Putin will stop simply because Washington asks him to. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Zelensky said the Russian

strongman is unlikely to change course without more pressure from the U.S., including stronger sanctions. Now that Russia's elections are behind Putin, Zelensky believes the Russian president has little reason to adjust or limit his targeting of Ukrainian infrastructure. And then there's the outside help that Zelensky says Moscow is receiving. He accused China of supplying Russia with technology and suggested some of it could resemble Starlink-style communications. Zelensky did not specify what Beijing had specifically provided. But it helps explain why he wants Washington to increase the pressure on Putin.

At the same time, Zelensky wants Ukraine ready if the talks go nowhere. And that's the thinking behind his request for Patriots and other American technology before Russia has another chance to target the power and heating systems that Ukrainians rely on in the winter. Now, here's where the ceasefire idea gets complicated, not that it wasn't complicated before. Ukraine has been hitting Russian refineries for months, and Zelensky says those strikes have destroyed 45% of Russia's refining capacity. That figure has not been independently confirmed, but the attacks have disrupted Russia's fuel industry enough that Moscow has restricted most diesel exports to keep supplies at home. Trump has been pressing Zelensky to stop hitting those refineries. Fuel prices,

of course, are rising, and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have already put a strain on energy markets. And while President Trump has said repeatedly that he does not care about the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, well, the reality is that U.S. voters care about gas prices. Zelensky says Trump did not bring up prices when they met in New York, though he knows where the administration stands. His point is that Ukraine cannot stop hitting Russian energy facilities, while Moscow keeps attacking the power and heating systems that Ukrainians rely on. So the deal he wants would have to work both ways. Keeves stops striking the Kremlin's energy hubs if Russia stops hitting Ukraine's.

Earlier this month, Trump did announce that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop striking each other's energy facilities. But neither side confirmed an agreement, and the attacks continued. Now, that brings us to what Secretary of State Marker Rubio said after meeting Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday. According to Rubio, both Russia and Ukraine have expressed interest in a limited ceasefire involving energy and grain-related targets. He also said it would be difficult to reach such an agreement. Before Rubio met Lavrov, the Kremlin said there were no grounds for broader peace talks, though it maintained that Russia was open to negotiations. Well, they've said they've been open to negotiations for almost five years now that Putin's

been carrying out this invasion. And Ukraine's scramble for a ceasefire of some sort ahead of the winter months has put another proposal on the table in the Black Sea. Zelenzky this week said that Egypt, India, and Turkey had set Ukraine written ideas for making Black Sea shipping safer. He made it clear that Kiev was ready to move forward if we, Russia took steps toward a maritime truce. And so far, Moscow has made no public commitment to an energy or maritime truce. Zelensky added that he would also meet Putin directly if Trump would join them for a three-way meeting. All right, next up, we're keeping a close eye on the ongoing conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which escalated again yesterday.

Pakistani officials say Afghan Taliban forces shelled Pakistani border posts overnight with mortars and other heavy weapons. And separately, Pakistani security sources say that military shot down eight drones launched from Afghanistan after they crossed into Pakistani airspace near the Torquam border in the city of Kohat. Now, Kabul denies that Taliban forces carried out the shelling, and we don't have a dependent confirmation that the drones were launched by the Afghan Taliban. But taken together, the reports point to another potentially dangerous step in a confrontation that's been building over the past several days. When we last reported on this situation on Monday,

Pakistan had launched air strikes inside Afghanistan following last week's deadly militant attack in Kowal. Islamabad said those strikes targeted militant hideouts and killed 28 fighters. Afghan officials disputed parts of that account, saying civilians were also killed, and Kabul condemned the strikes as a violation of Afghan sovereignty. And then came the latest fighting.

According to Pakistani officials, militants attempted to cross from Afghanistan into Pakistan overnight near the border. Islamabad says its forces stopped that infiltration attempt. Pakistani officials then say Afghan Taliban forces opened fire on Pakistani border posts with mortars and other heavy weapons. Pakistan says its troops responded with artillery, striking Taliban border positions, and defensive sites on the Afghan side. Again, Kabul denies that account. A Taliban government spokesman said that Afghan forces did not attack Pakistani positions, so at this point, we have competing claims over exactly who opened fire and what happened along the border. But the drone reports, they add another layer. Pakistani security sources say

eight drones entered Pakistani airspace from Afghanistan on Wednesday. Four were reportedly intercepted near the Torquam border crossing, while another four were shot down around Kohat, the same area hit by last week's deadly attack. The Pakistani officials describe the drones as relatively rudimentary and say they were destroyed without causing casualties or significant damage. What remains unclear, the Sioux actually launched them. Pakistan is blaming the Afghan Taliban. Kabul has not confirmed that,

and there's been no independent verification of the Pakistani claim. Still, the broader pattern is what we're watching. Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan's Taliban government, of allowing the Pakistani Taliban, the TTP, to operate from Afghan territory and launch attacks across the border. Kabul, again, denies providing the group a safe haven. So that dispute is not new. What's more concerning is how quickly it's now producing direct military action between the two countries. In the span of just a few days, Pakistan has carried out air strikes inside Afghanistan. Kabul has condemned those strikes. Pakistan now says Afghan Taliban forces,

shelved its border positions. Pakistani artillery reportedly fired back. And Islamabad says drones launched from Afghan territory crossed into Pakistani airspace. Now, there are still efforts underway to keep this whole situation from spiraling out of control. China, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have all been involved in trying to reduce tensions between the two sides. But for now, well, for now, the trend is moving in the wrong direction. All right. Coming up in the back of the brief, the new White House ballroom could come with a drone port. How about that? Adding to the one that the Secret Service already operates nearby. More on that when we come back.

Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, you've probably noticed, but fall is here. Football's back. Hotty-Toddy. And that means extra time in the kitchen fixing game-day meals on Saturdays and Sundays. Now, whether you're flipping game-day burgers or maybe frying wings or cooking breakfast, before kickoff, burnt pans and difficult cleanup should not ruin the game, right? That's where Hexclad changes everything. Hexclad combines heavy-duty stainless steel performance with non-stick convenience in one single pan. You get a proper sear, you get excellent heat distribution, and effortless food release every single time.

The hybrid pans handle extreme heat up to 900 degrees. They stay completely dishwasher safe, and they stand up to metal utensils without scratching. Even Gordon Ramsey swears by them at home and in his restaurants, and well, he's not easy to please. Plus, every set comes backed by a lifetime warranty. Don't go into football season with cookware that makes game day meals harder than they need to be. Upgrade your kitchen with Hexglad and make cooking, hosting, and clean up easier all-season long. For a limited time-only, PDB listeners get 10% off your order with our exclusive link. Just head on over to Hexclad.com slash PDB.

Again, that's hexclad.com slash PDB. And if you don't mind, now let them know that the PDB sent you. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, we have all heard those radio ads about the IRS. You know the ones I'm talking about. They tell you to be afraid, be very, very afraid. And then they try to frighten you into calling. Well, tax relief advocates, they're different.

If you owe money to the IRS, whether it's $5,000 or $50,000 or $500,000, I hope you don't owe $500,000, TRA has a solution to your tax problem. Look, don't lose hope. could reduce or even eliminate what you owe to the IRS. Their passion is taxes and helping individuals and businesses fix their IRS problems. They've got over a thousand five-star Google reviews and a plus with a better business bureau. And here's the thing.

You do not need to be afraid of the IRS any longer. Generous tax relief programs are now available. They can give you a fresh start, so do not wait. Simply visit t r.com. That's t r a.com. Or call the number 800-583, 1515. Once again, that's 800, 583-6515. Tax relief advocates, real solutions for real people. In today's back of the brief, it could become the new must-have home accessory. Trump wants to put a

drone port on top of the new White House ballroom, but it turns out that the Secret Service, well, they've already got one operating right next door. According to the Associated Press, the agency has four weatherproof drone stations positioned on top of a Treasury Department, building just a few hundred feet from the White House. Each station houses a small, unarmed drone, equipped with cameras and sensors that can launch quickly if agents need an overhead look at a potential threat. The Secret Service calls the concept to quote, drone as first responder. Instead of waiting for an aircraft or a helicopter, agents can launch one of these drones, get live video of whatever's happening around the complex, and then return it to its docking station. The capability has taken on

greater urgency, of course, since the attempted assassination of Trump back in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024. The gunman there had used a drone to scout the rally site before the attack, while the Secret Service did not have one providing aerial surveillance at the event. But Trump's vision for the new ballroom appears to be considerably more ambitious. He's talked about putting what he calls a drone port or drone gallery on the roof, taking advantage of a 360-degree view of Washington. Trump is also described plans for military personnel, sniper positions, and what he called, quote, massive drone capacity, all happening there on top of the ballroom. Rendering circulated by Trump of even shown larger military-style drones. Now, exactly what would actually be stationed there,

well, that remains unclear. The White House has not publicly identified the types of drones involved, whether any would be armed, or precisely what missions they would perform. And the Secret Service says its existing drone stations are separate from whatever is eventually built on the ballroom. Now, there's a serious security issue underneath all of this, of course. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have shown how inexpensive commercial drones can be turned into extremely effective weapons. They can carry explosives, of course, conduct surveillance, and approach targets at low altitude, creating a very different security problem from traditional aircraft. Protecting the White House from those threats also gets complicated because, well, it sits inside some of the most crowded

and restricted airspace in the country, with Reagan National Airport, military aircraft, and law enforcement drones all operating nearby. So, whatever eventually ends up on top of the new ballroom, well, it will have to fit into an already complicated defense network. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Thursday, the 24th of September. Now, if you have any questions or Comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. And, of course, if you'd like an ad-free PDB, we can make that happen. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdb premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin.

Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.