The Iran Crisis Just Entered A Dangerous New Phase & Trump Backs Kyiv

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**Mike Baker** (0:38)
It's Thursday, the 9th of July. Welcome to The Presidents Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And if you're asking, huh, is Mike still traveling and reporting from parts unknown? Well, the answer is yes, still on the road. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the US launches another round of strikes against Iran, signaling perhaps something other than the limited retaliatory strikes that we've seen over the past few weeks. I'll have the latest. Later in the show, President Trump is signaling a major change in strategy toward Ukraine, endorsing strikes deep inside Russia and expanding Ukraine's ability to defend itself with Patriot missiles. Plus, the case against accused Charlie Kirk killer Tyler Robinson moves into its next phase. We'll bring you the latest from the preliminary hearing, where prosecutors unveiled new DNA evidence. And in today's Back of the Brief, military experts game out a chilling scenario, a nuclear weapon or weapons detonated in space.
But first, today's PDB spotlight.
Last night, President Trump followed through on his latest warnings. US. Central Command announced that American forces had launched another round of strikes against Iranian targets, marking the second consecutive day of military operations against the Islamic Republic. According to CENTCOM, the objective is to further degrade Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, after the Iranian regime allegedly attacked three civilian vessels earlier this week. In other words, Washington may be moving beyond the one-off retaliatory strikes and toward a broader campaign to secure the Strait. Now, before we get into what that could mean, let's quickly recap where things stand. Yesterday, the US launched a wave of precision strikes against Iranian military infrastructure after Tehran allegedly attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, violating, of course, one of the central provisions of that June ceasefire or Memorandum of Understanding or whatever we're calling it. The operation targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar sites, surveillance positions, anti-ship missile batteries, drone launch sites, and dozens of fast attack boats operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC.
At the same time, the Trump administration revoked the sanctions waiver that had recently allowed Iran to openly export crude oil under the terms of the interim agreement, effectively restoring Washington's economic pressure campaign.
Iran responded by launching missiles and drones toward American military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Both countries reported intercepting those incoming weapons before they reached their targets and there have been no reports of casualties. According to Iranian state media, eight members of Iran's air and naval forces were killed in Tuesday's American strikes on Bandar Abbas and Boucher, the first military deaths that Iran has acknowledged from US attacks since that June MOA took effect.
Now the fighting has intensified once again. On Wednesday, US Central Command announced that additional strikes were underway, saying American forces were acting at President Trump's direction to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media soon reported explosions across several locations in southern Iran, including near Bandar Abbas and further east along the Gulf of Oman. Officials offered conflicting accounts regarding the extent of the strikes, but reports described explosions near the Strait of Hormuz and increased activity by Iranian air defenses. Meanwhile, the political fallout continues to deepen.
Inside Iran, hardline voices are becoming increasingly vocal. Media outlets closely aligned with the IRGC are now calling on Tehran to formally abandon the agreement with Washington. One editorial argued that Iran should announce the official end of both the interim understanding and any future negotiations. Another urged Iranian leaders to simply, quote, burn the agreement. Now those editorials don't represent official government policy, but they underscore the growing pressure on Iran's leadership to respond with force rather than diplomacy. Not everyone, however, is ready to give up on negotiations. Pakistan, which helped mediate talks between Washington and Tehran, issued a statement on Wednesday urging all sides to exercise restraint and insisting that continued dialogue remains the only path toward lasting regional stability. Well, you know what, you could also argue the only path toward lasting regional stability would require the removal of the Iranian regime and the IRGC. President Trump, meanwhile, has sent mixed signals of his own. On the one hand, he dismissed Iran's leadership as, quote, scum and said, quote, for me, I think it's over, when asked about the future of the agreement. On the other hand, he stopped short of formally ending negotiations, saying his representatives could continue talking if they wished. However, Trump did dramatically expand the range of military options he's publicly discussing. The President warned that the US would, quote, hit them hard again if necessary. He suggested American forces could destroy additional infrastructure, including bridges and desalination plants. He also raised the possibility of restoring the naval blockade that had been lifted under last month's agreement.