PDB Afternoon Bulletin | August 26th, 2026: Iranian State TV Discusses How Barron Trump Could Be Killed & Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear Deal

**Megyn Kelly** (0:00)
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**Mike Baker** (0:49)
It's Wednesday, the 26th of August. Welcome to The PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Keep your eyes and ears on the world stage. And rest in peace to Dolly Parton. American country music has lost one of its brightest stars.
All right, let's get briefed. First up, an Iranian state television video openly discusses how Barron Trump could be killed, claiming the President's son is under surveillance and that a $10 million bounty has been offered for his murder. I'll have the details. Later in the show, President Trump sends a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, opening the door to billions in reactor deals while raising new fears of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Iranian state television has broadcast a three-minute video openly discussing where and how President Trump's youngest son, Barron, could be killed. The video appeared on Channel 3 of Iran's state-controlled television network. The material reportedly originated with media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, the branch of Iran's military responsible for many of the regime's covert operations abroad. The video's title was, quote, Where and how should we kill Barron Trump? End quote. It used AI-generated imagery to depict the president's 20-year-old son at locations associated with his daily life. The report claimed Barron was being, quote, Fully monitored. It referenced his university, vehicles used by his security detail, and the purported location of secret service personnel assigned to protect him. The video also claimed that a woman had penetrated Barron's social circle, attended a private meeting with him, and passed information to the program's producers.
It alleged that Barron uses Xbox to communicate privately through voice and text, supposedly beyond the reach of his security detail.
And the video concluded by claiming that a $10 million reward had been offered in connection with Barron's killing.
The claims about his movements, communications and personal relationships have not been independently verified, but the threat is obviously being taken seriously by the US. Secret Service. A spokesperson for the agency confirmed that it is aware of the video, adding that the Secret Service investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat against the people under its protection. The agency declined to provide any additional details citing concerns about operational security, and the White House has not offered a separate, substantive response.
Now, this video does not appear to be an isolated incident. In July, an outlet affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps released a similar production targeting First Lady Melania Trump. That video also examined locations she was known to visit in New York and presented alleged weaknesses in her security.
Iranian state media has previously broadcast material purporting to map President Trump's travel routes between airports and his homes in Florida and New York. And in July, a billboard displayed in Tehran depicted Trump dead in a coffin beneath the words, quote, We will kill Trump, end quote. Iran's threat campaign against the president dates back to his decision to authorize the January 2020 drone strike that killed Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. The regime repeatedly vowed to avenge Soleimani's death, and those threats have intensified during the current conflict, following the killing of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
And Iran has a documented history of attempting to turn threats like these into operations on American soil. In 2024, the Justice Department charged an Iranian asset accused of being ordered by the Revolutionary Guard to develop a plan to assassinate Trump. According to federal prosecutors, the operative used a network of criminal associates inside the US to conduct surveillance and arrange killings on behalf of the regime. And this past March, a federal jury convicted another Iranian operative of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism. The Justice Department said that man admitted the IRGC sent him to the US to arrange political assassinations. He ultimately approached people he believed were professional killers, but who were actually working with American law enforcement. There have also been more recent intelligence warnings. Israel has reportedly warned Washington several times that Iran may be plotting to assassinate Trump. One such warning contributed to the recent decision to secretly move the president from Air Force One to another military aircraft during a trip to Turkey. American and Turkish intelligence reportedly could not independently verify some of those Israeli warnings, and at least one was considered low confidence by US officials. Bottom line, we shouldn't confuse Iran's latest propaganda video with evidence that an assassination team is currently stalking Barron Trump. But an Iranian state broadcaster has openly identified the American president's son as a target, discussed his supposed vulnerabilities, and advertised what he described as a multi-million dollar reward. Now that message may be designed to show resolve or strength to their population. There may also be an invitation to criminal groups, Iranian sympathizers, or unstable individuals willing to act without direct orders from Tehran.