American Forces Strike Iran Near Strait of Hormuz

New U.S. military strikes are reported in the Strait of Hormuz, even as President Trump meets with Qatar's prime minister in a renewed bid to end the war. The White House appears to be downplaying the need for a renewed major military campaign, while the Iranian regime continues to insist that Washington needs to make a series of concessions before Tehran will agree to anything. I'll have the details. New American military strikes are being reported against Iran, even as the Trump administration considers a diplomatic proposal that could bring an end to the war. Iranian officials say U.S. forces carried out another round of attacks near Qeshm Island overnight Sunday, just hours before President Trump met with Qatar's prime minister at the White House. According to IranWire, Ahmad Nafisi, a senior Iranian security official, ...confirmed that American forces struck areas surrounding Qeshm Island, which sits near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. Nafisi claimed the attacks caused no damage to residential, commercial, or military infrastructure and that essential services on the island continued operating normally. Iranian authorities say emergency and security personnel were placed on heightened alert following the strikes. Now, the U.S. has not publicly confirmed this latest operation, and the precise targets remain unclear. But the reports follow other American strikes against Iranian military installations on the island. On Friday, President Trump acknowledged that U.S. forces had targeted an Iranian air defense system near Qeshm. American officials have characterized all those earlier attacks as defensive measures intended to protect U.S. forces operating in the region. But while American forces continue sporadic military operations against Iran and Iran continues sporadically to fire missiles and drones, diplomatic efforts are also reportedly intensifying. Yesterday afternoon, President Trump met with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed al-Thani. He's emerged as one of the principal intermediaries between Washington and Tehran. The meeting reportedly lasted approximately 45 minutes and was conducted behind closed doors without the usual opportunity for reporters to question the president. The Qatari leader also met separately with Vice President J.D. Vance, who's then heavily involved in indirect negotiations with Iran. According to Axios, Vance has spoken with the Qatari Prime Minister almost daily over the past two weeks. And Qatar has been working with several other regional governments, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan, to develop a proposal that could restart negotiations and bring the fighting to an end. Now, the latest plan involves a series of steps that could, emphasize the word, could be implemented over just two days. Under the proposal, the U.S. would begin by lifting its naval blockade against Iran and releasing some frozen Iranian funds. In exchange, Tehran would formally invite inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit nuclear facilities damaged during American strikes. On the second day, supposedly, Iran would... Reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. Now, that would then be followed by renewed negotiations, supposedly, over Iran's nuclear program, including its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Those are proposed steps, of course, suggestions, not commitments that either side has agreed to carry out. The Iranian regime wants Washington to lift sanctions, end the blockade, and halt military operations before they'd be willing to move into talk of broader negotiations. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has resisted making those concessions without stronger assurances about Iran's nuclear activities and regional behavior. The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, made Washington's position clear on Sunday. Speaking before departing for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Paris, Rubio said he did not believe that the two sides were close to an agreement. He described some of Iran's demands as, quote, outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic, end quote. Iran's government pushed back on Monday. A foreign ministry spokesman defended Tehran's proposal, arguing that lifting the American blockade and sanctions It was a reasonable condition for restarting negotiations. And Iranian officials have continued insisting that they will not negotiate under military pressure. Still, President Trump has recently suggested he would prefer to avoid another major escalation. His on-again, off-again threats of renewed military strikes are currently, apparently, in the off-again stage. During an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes that aired on Sunday, the president was asked whether he intended to intensify the war. He replied, quote, Well, I'm not looking to. I don't think there's any reason to, end quote. But Trump has also kept the possibility of additional military action on the table if diplomatic efforts fail. And the political circumstances have certainly changed following last week's midterm elections in the U.S., which saw Republicans suffer significant losses, that's putting it mildly, amid public frustration over the war and its economic consequences. That adds another consideration for an administration already facing difficult choices over Iran. For now, there's been no announced breakthrough following Trump's meeting with the Qatari prime minister. The central disagreement remains whether Washington is prepared to ease its blockade and make other economic concessions before Tehran makes their own concessions. It's essentially a standoff, an old-fashioned staring contest, with neither side wanting the appearance of giving in to the other. All right, coming up next, a new study reveals that some 200 million people worldwide are living in areas controlled or influenced by criminal gangs and insurgents, and a banking collapse topples Paraguay's president. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, we've all heard those radio ads about the IRS. You know, the ones I'm talking about, right? They tell you to be afraid and they try to frighten you into calling. Well, tax relief advocates, TRA is different. If you owe money to the IRS, whether it's $5,000 or $50,000 or $500,000, TRA has a solution to your tax problem. TRA could reduce or even eliminate what you owe to the IRS. Look, their passion is taxes and helping individuals and businesses fix their IRS problems. They've got over 1,000 five-star Google reviews and an A-plus with the Better Business Bureau. Here's the thing. You do not need to be afraid of the IRS any longer. Generous tax relief programs are now available that can give you a fresh start. So don't wait. Simply visit TRA.com. That's TRA.com. Or call the number 800- 583-6515. Once again, that number is 800-583-6515. Tax relief advocates, real solutions for real people. Welcome back to the PDB. Around the world, criminal gangs, drug cartels, and armed insurgents are doing more than just engaging in criminal, cartel, or insurgent activity. They're taking control of territory, collecting taxes, running local economies, and assuming powers that are are normally reserved for governments. And according to a new investigation by the Wall Street Journal, the scale of this problem is enormous. The Journal examined the growing influence of these organizations across more than 60 countries, where an estimated 204 million people now live in areas controlled or contested by armed groups of various sorts. That figure comes from the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has identified 383 armed organizations that are of humanitarian concern worldwide. Of those 204 million people, approximately 74 million live in territories fully controlled by armed groups. Another 130 million live in areas where government forces and rival organizations are competing for control. That's an increase of roughly 30 million people since the year 2021. And what makes this particularly concerning is that many of these organizations are now functioning as alternative governments. They collect money from local businesses, regulate commerce, enforce their own rules, and sometimes even provide public services. And of course, much of their authority rests on intimidation, extortion, and violence. And their ability to establish control over communities makes them considerably harder to dislodge. The journal highlights several examples. First up, Ecuador. Once considered one of South America's safer countries, Ecuador has experienced an explosion in organized crime and violence as rival gangs compete for control of cocaine trafficking routes. Organizations like Los Choneros and Los Lobos have battled for access to ports and transportation corridors that connect South American cocaine producers with international markets. Their influence extends into prisons, businesses, and local communities where violence and extortion have undermined government authority. In neighboring Colombia and across parts of Mexico, of course, cartels exercise enormous influence over local economies. Some organizations extort farmers and business owners while others control roads, transportation routes, and entire communities. In certain areas, residents must answer to criminal organizations as well as their own Now, if you cross the Atlantic to Africa, across the Sahel, particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso, jihadist organizations and ethnic militias have driven government forces out of large areas. Now, one of the most powerful is JADEM, an al-Qaeda affiliate that controls or contests substantial territory. The group generates revenue through activities including the exploitation of natural resources while using violence and intimidation to enforce its authority. And in parts of the region, national governments have struggled to regain control despite years of military operations. Then there's Southeast Asia. In Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, years of civil war have allowed armed militias and criminal syndicates to establish themselves along remote border regions. Some operate extensive drug trafficking networks, and others run industrial-scale cyber-fraud operations. These include sprawling scam compounds, where trafficked workers are forced to participate in online fraud schemes targeting victims around the world. Similar criminal operations have emerged in neighboring Cambodia. According to the reporting from the Wall Street Journal, the reach of these groups is expanding with technology. Inexpensive drones provide capabilities that once required sophisticated military equipment. Encrypted communications help coordinate international operations, while cryptocurrency offers additional ways to move money across borders. For the U.S., the implications extend well beyond the countries where these organizations operate. Drug cartels supply American markets, of course. Cybercriminals steal from American victims. And armed insurgent groups can destabilize governments in strategically important regions. But the journal's investigation points to an even larger challenge. These organizations aren't just exploiting weak governments. In some cases, they're replacing government authority altogether, making their growing influence a significant feature of the international security landscape. Turning now to South America, where the collapse of a major bank has led to a political crisis that's reached the highest levels of the government. What began with frozen accounts and angry customers has brought down the president and sent thousands protesting into the streets. To understand how Paraguay reached this point, we'll start with the bank itself. Now, that would be the bank called Wayno. Launched as a financial tech business in 2021, it became a licensed bank in 2023. Its appeal is similar to the way that others use PayPal, manage your money from your phone, make everyday payments, get discounts. For Paraguayans underserved by traditional banks, that offered a convenient way into the banking system. With heavy marketing, Ueno reported nearly 3 million customers, or around 60% of the country's adult population. And that gives you a sense of what was at stake when its services suddenly stopped working early last Tuesday morning. Customers were left scrambling to access savings, wages, and pension payments. Demonstrators gathered outside Congress in the capital, Asunción, demanding their money back. Protests spread to other cities, with some turning violent as demonstrators clashed with police. Behind the shutdown was a serious problem. Ueno did not have enough of its own capital to cover potential losses if borrowers failed to repay their loans. Yeah, that's a serious problem. The crisis reached President Santiago Peña, who had owned shares in the bank's parent company. Prosecutors allege he used his office to influence government agencies and state-owned entities to keep public money, government money, at Ueno, despite that connection and despite concerns about its financial health. That allegation turned a banking crisis into a direct threat to his presidency. On Thursday, Peña attempted to resign amid the scandal. However, Congress rejected that route and pressed ahead with his removal. On Friday, the Paraguayan Senate voted unanimously to oust him. He was then arrested and charged Saturday with breach of trust and administration for personal gain. Each offense could carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years. A judge ordered him held at a military facility, and by Sunday, police were searching his mansion outside Asuncion. Now, Peña has pleaded not guilty and maintains that the bank's difficulties were a regulatory matter. His former vice president, Pedro Ayala, has been sworn in as president and will serve the remainder of Peña's term, which ends in August of 2028. To better understand the case against the former president, we do need to look more closely at the public money entrusted to Ueno and his personal dealings with that bank. Back in June, Ueno reportedly held approximately $850 million in public funds. That included $355 million from Paraguay's Social Security Institute, which manages pensions and health care funds, representing roughly 9% of its investment portfolio. Alongside those public deposits were Peña's own financial ties. When he took office in 2023, his asset declaration listed approximately $845,000 in shares, in the bank's parent company. He retained them until March of 2025. His dealings with Ueno also included borrowing from the bank. The indictment says Peña obtained two loans, totaling approximately half a million dollars in 2024, to help build his mansion. Well, you know, a mansion's not going to build itself. His reported monthly mortgage payment was $38,000, which was roughly six times his salary. There's a clue. And the lending under scrutiny goes far beyond the former president. Ueno had extended approximately $146 million, to just three companies that were connected to its controlling owners. There's another clue. The country's former finance minister described loan documents that appeared to have the same people signing on both sides of some transactions. Yes, that's a problem as well. In 2023, Peña appointed Carlos Carvalho to lead the central bank, the institution supervising Paraguay's banks. Carvalho had previously headed Ueno. He, too, has since been arrested and charged with breach of trust, administration for personal gain, and producing false public documents. Eight Ueno executives, including the chief executive, have also been arrested and charged. An opposition senator called the scandal, quote, the biggest corruption scandal in our democratic history. So, for the new president, the immediate task is getting money back to the customers. Ayanna's government is making reimbursements through a fund designed to protect bank deposits. Ayanna said Sunday that approximately $158 million had been distributed, with more expected this week. Alright, coming up in the back of the brief, those mysterious refrigerator cyber hacks across Europe now have a suspected culprit, with France accusing Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC. More on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here with a tip on how to survive the holiday season. 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Because the best part of the holidays is being present for all of it. Try Z-Biotics pre-alcohol for yourself. And if you're not satisfied, they'll refund your entire order. No questions asked. Come on, head on over to Z-Biotics.com slash PDB and use the code PDB for 15% off your first order. In today's back of the brief, the French officials are accusing Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, of targeting and attacking refrigeration systems in France and elsewhere. Now, Paris is vowing retaliation against the Iranian regime. We've been tracking these attacks as they spread through European supermarkets, leaving stores with spoiled food supplies. And just last week, French blood storage facilities were attacked, although staff were able to intervene to protect medical supplies. On Monday, France's foreign minister said Iran's ambassador had been summoned. Well, they're going to hate that, aren't they? That should solve the problem. Let's summon the ambassador. He also threatened further European Union sanctions against Iran. Paris prosecutors have also requested international arrest warrants targeting the alleged perpetrators. The French announcement came just minutes after Reuters exclusively reported that investigators privately suspected Iran. But French officials are doing more than just naming a suspect. Their intelligence and cybersecurity agencies have released a joint report explaining how they traced the campaign. It identifies Mshahid Gaveh, described as a cyber-offensive unit tied to the IRGC, and names three alleged associates. French officials say the unit hid behind numerous front groups, including Cyber Avengers, as a catchy name, and the Cyber Isnad Front, not quite as catchy. They presented themselves as independent vigilante hackers. France says they were just cover for an operation tied to the Iranian regime. Investigators point to several connections, digital infrastructure used by Shahid Kaveh, intrusion patterns matching its previous operations, and traces of Farsi recovered from the attack infrastructure. Yeah, those are all pretty decent clues. That's the case the French authorities are laying out. The damage they documented shows what this operation meant for the businesses on the receiving end. The October 11th cyber attack struck hundreds of French supermarkets. Across the country, authorities say a total of 700 commercial sites were targeted. Some refrigeration units had their temperatures raised so high that they caught fire. French authorities record at least 15 such fires. Nationwide losses could reach tens of millions of euros. The October attacks were followed this month by a second wave that hit more than 100 establishments across Europe. That wave also attacked refrigerators used by French blood banks, forcing employees to move some of the blood supplies to other cold storage units. The blood service said no blood products or biological samples were lost. Collection and distribution continued without interruption. Those supplies were protected because staff intervened. The French supermarket sabotage stands out as one of the most disruptive cyber attacks of the Iran conflict, which has otherwise seen scattered incidents of alleged digital disruption. Reuters reports that Iranian hackers have previously struggled to cause disruption on this scale. The freezer attacks show what happens when they succeed. And this week, U.S. officials warned that more could be coming. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Tuesday, the 10th of November. Now, if you have any questions or comments, just reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And, of course, don't forget to check out our YouTube channel. It's really everything you could want in a YouTube channel and more. Just wander on over to YouTube and search up at President's Daily Brief. If you like what you see, and frankly, how could you not, maybe hit that subscribe button. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, there's a lot of folks out there who rely on caffeine or nicotine just to get through the day, right? You know what I'm talking about, but here's the problem. The energy spikes, the crashes, the disrupted sleep, it's a cycle and not a good one. Ultra pouches, though, offer a different approach. These pouches are completely nicotine-free and caffeine-free, designed with clinically studied nootropics and adaptogens to support clean, steady focus. 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