PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 18th, 2026: Trump Nears "Big Decision" on Major Strikes Against Iran & Pakistan Rocked by Deadly Terror Attack

Mike Baker (0:12)

It's Friday, the 18th of September. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed.

First up, President Trump says he must soon decide whether to pursue diplomacy with Iran or potentially, quote, annihilate the regime. Well, those are two choices. The warning comes as the regime stages a massive show of defiance and new attacks underscore the continuing instability in the Strait of Hormuz. Later in the show, a deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan, raising fears of renewed fighting with neighboring Afghanistan. But first, today's afternoon spotlight.

President Trump says he's approaching what could be one of the most consequential decisions of the war with Iran, whether to make another push for diplomacy or dramatically escalate the conflict. And he isn't exactly being subtle about what that second option could look like. Speaking with Axios on Thursday, Trump said, I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me.

Now, despite those comments, the president also offered, at the same time, a very different assessment of where this war may be heading. Trump has repeatedly suggested this week that the war could soon be coming to an end and told Axios Thursday that Iran remains in direct contact with Washington and is still eager to reach a deal. Of course, we've heard the president say that Iran wants a deal on numerous occasions in the past, desperate for a deal, very badly want a deal. Likewise, he's threatened to hit the regime harder than ever before on numerous occasions. The rhetoric is nothing new. And possibly because of that, Tehran isn't showing any signs that they intend to capitulate. On Friday, hundreds of thousands of Iranians poured into the streets of Tehran for the largest government organized demonstration since the war began in February. Iranian state television claimed that more than 300,000 people participated in the rally. Well, if the Iranian state television says it, it's got to be true. Where volunteers dressed in combat uniforms marched through the capital while some demonstrators chanted, death to America and death to Israel. Not exactly original slogans, but at least they're consistent. The event was part of a government campaign encouraging ordinary Iranians to receive basic military training and prepare to defend the country. The head of Tehran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, claims that more than 600,000 people have already registered, with officials expecting that number to eventually surpass 1 million. Now, those are Iranian government figures, of course, and they have not been independently verified. And because this was a government-organized demonstration, heavily promoted by state media, we shouldn't confuse a massive rally in Tehran with a reliable measure of how the broader Iranian population feels about the war.

Look, after slaughtering thousands of their citizens earlier in the year, and continuing to detain, imprison and execute anyone that they deem a threat, the average citizen may feel somewhat compelled to turn up for a rally when instructed by the regime. Military hardware was displayed in the streets during the rally, volunteers pledged to take up arms, and Iran's new Basij commander warned that the trainees would become a quote nightmare for the country's enemies. And that display of defiance comes despite the significant pressure that Washington has managed to put on Tehran. As we've been tracking here on the PDB, the US naval blockade has largely choked off Iran's maritime trade, while sanctions and the disruption of normal shipping routes are creating serious problems for the Iranian economy. Just yesterday, we talked about thousands of drugs backed up along Iran's borders as Tehran struggles to replace maritime commerce with much more expensive overland trade.

The US has also made progress getting more oil and gas tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. But some progress and a return to normalcy are two very different things. Traffic to the strait remains well below pre-war levels, and Friday brought another reminder of just how dangerous the waterway remains. Two separate attacks on ships were reported in the strait within hours of one another. In one case, British Maritime Authorities said a tanker was struck by a projectile. The IRGC separately claimed responsibility for striking a vessel that it accused of making an illegal crossing through the waterway.

So, while Washington has succeeded in increasing a portion of normal tanker traffic and preventing ships from reaching Iranian ports, Iran continues to disrupt commercial shipping, leaving owners and insurers wary about using that critical trade corridor.

And that leaves Trump with a decision that US officials increasingly say cannot be postponed indefinitely. According to Axios, the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hecsep have ordered American forces in the region to maintain their current posture through the end of the year, keeping the military prepared for another major round of combat if President Trump chooses that option.