PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 15th, 2026: Trump May Unleash the "Mother of All Bombs" on Iran & Hundreds of U.S. Troops Sent to Panama

It's Thursday, the 15th of October. 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, the Pentagon is reportedly considering the use of the so-called mother of all bombs against Iran, as Washington prepares options for another round of devastating strikes. Later in the show, the Pentagon is sending hundreds of U.S. troops to Panama as it expands its campaign against Latin American drug cartels. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. The Pentagon is reportedly considering unleashing one of the most powerful conventional weapons in the American arsenal against Iran, as military planners prepare options for another round of strikes against the Islamic Republic. According to an exclusive report from CNN, those options include the possible use of the GBU-43B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, better known as the Mother of All Bombs or MOAB, because, of course, the Mother of All Bombs is going to have the mother of all acronyms. It's a weapon weighing more than 21,000 pounds, capable of producing an enormous explosion across a wide area. And according to multiple American officials familiar with the planning, it could be used as part of a new military operation targeting Iran's nuclear and energy infrastructure. Now, President Trump has said that he will not resume strikes against Iran before the November 3rd midterm elections in the U.S. And there's no indication that he's actually authorized the use of this particular weapon. But the military is preparing its options, and some of them would represent a significant escalation in a war that has already stretched on for more than seven years. The MOAB was developed ahead of the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, but it was not used in combat until April 2017, when the Trump administration dropped one on an ISIS tunnel complex in eastern Afghanistan. The explosion was extraordinary, but there's an important distinction here. Despite its enormous size, the MOAB isn't what's known as a bunker buster. It's designed to produce a massive blast above the ground, targeting personnel and structures across a wide area. That's different from the specialized penetrator bombs that the U.S. has used against Iran's deeply buried nuclear facilities. According to CNN, one of the potential targets being discussed is Pickaxe Mountain. That's a heavily fortified underground complex that American and Israeli intelligence officials believe is connected to Iran's nuclear program. The problem is that nobody seems particularly confident that a MOAB would be able to destroy it. And so, the MOAB is designed to produce a massive blast above the ground. A MOAB could actually destroy what's buried beneath that mountain. Some officials reportedly believe the weapon could still have value, even if it can't penetrate the facility itself. The sheer scale of the explosion could send a message to Tehran about what the U.S. is prepared to do. In other words, the psychological impact may be part of the calculation. But the planning reportedly extends beyond this particular ordinance. CNN reports that President Trump has requested additional strike packages targeting substantial portions of Iran's energy infrastructure. In one scenario, under discussion reportedly, involves launching a major round of attacks before beginning to withdraw American forces from the region. That would be a very different approach from maintaining the current military pressure indefinitely. According to this scenario, the U.S. would deliver another powerful blow, potentially targeting some of Iran's most important economic and military assets before then reducing its presence. Now, whether that would bring Tehran back to the negotiating table or convince Iranian leaders to retaliate even more aggressively is another question entirely. For now, there have been no signs that the current military buildup or the talk of renewed U.S. military operations is pushing the Iranian regime to the negotiating table. Speaking Wednesday night, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran intends to continue using its military capabilities, diplomatic negotiations, and regional leverage to pressure Washington. Iran wants the American naval blockade lifted, sanctions eased, and U.S. military forces withdrawn from the region. And while Iranian leaders insist they don't want an endless war, they're also making clear they have no intention of accepting Washington's terms simply because the U.S. possesses overwhelming military firepower. Meanwhile, Iran continues its campaign of targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Two cargo vessels have now sunk following separate Iranian attacks. It's another indication that the regime remains capable of inflicting serious damage on international commerce, despite months of American military operations. According to Reuters, the Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride was attacked on Tuesday, the 13th of October. The vessel caught fire and subsequently sank, although all 21 crew members managed to escape safely. The second vessel, the Cape Dow, was attacked back on the 23rd of September and finally sank this week after sustaining extensive damage. One crew member died following that attack. These represent the second and third commercial vessels reportedly sunk since the war began in February. But the larger story is really about how Iran's tactics are changing. Reuters reports that the regime has deliberately intensified its attacks on commercial shipping ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, hoping to keep energy prices elevated and increase the economic pressure on Washington. And the Iranians aren't limiting themselves to oil tankers. They're increasingly targeting other commercial vessels, threatening to disrupt a much broader range of maritime trade. According to one American official, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, has also adapted to the destruction of much of its radar infrastructure by deploying small unarmed boats to identify potential targets. Those boats can observe passing vessels and then relay information to Iranian forces operating elsewhere. It's a relatively simple, low-tech tactic, but one that illustrates the difficulty of eliminating Iran's ability to threaten shipping, even after destroying large portions of its conventional military infrastructure. And Tehran has reportedly been expanding its operations beyond the Strait of Hormuz, raising the possibility that additional shipping lanes in the Gulf of Oman and surrounding waters will be destroyed. So, the U.S. is considering another devastating round of strikes, potentially involving one of the largest conventional bombs ever used in combat. Iran, meanwhile, is responding with a campaign designed to make the war increasingly expensive for Washington and its regional partners. Coming up next, hundreds of U.S. soldiers are heading to Panama as Washington rams up military operations against drug traffickers. I'll be right back. with a message for all the dudes out there. 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But some of these soldiers could also support American military advisors helping local forces take the fight to drug trafficking organizations. Reportedly, this effort will start in Panama, at a new jungle training facility, where the soldiers will take part in exercises before moving farther into the region. From there, troops will head to Colombia for Southern Vanguard. That's an exercise scheduled to begin later this month, while other rotations will move into Honduras to train alongside local forces there. But the potential mission extends beyond those exercises. U.S. Special Operations troops are advising local militaries. Conducting raids against suspected drug traffickers. Officials say soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division could provide additional security for the U.S. helicopters supporting those forces. If the advisors get into trouble, then those troops could also be called upon to respond. The officials, who spoke anonymously to discuss operational matters, say these are temporary rotations. Still, they could become a more permanent feature of America's military presence in the region as the White House expands its pressure on the country. That effort also requires people coordinating the mission, which is why the buildup extends beyond the soldiers heading into Latin America. Several hundred additional troops from the 10th Mountain Division are expected to help staff a new Western Hemisphere Command in Miami. The Pentagon has also established an office overseeing counter-cartel activities. Southern Command, meanwhile, announced Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere in August under Marine Major General Kevin Kennedy. To coordinate the expanding campaign with regional allies. The Pentagon has also moved several MQ-9 Reaper drones from Africa into Colombia and Ecuador. Those moves show how Washington is building on the existing campaign at sea, putting more personnel, equipment, and coordination behind the effort to confront the trafficking networks. PDB listeners will be familiar with that maritime campaign. For roughly a year, the U.S. military has been striking vessels. The U.S. military has been striking vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific that it says were transporting drugs. So far, that has included 71 boat strikes, killing at least 239 people. General Francis Donovan, the top U.S. military commander for most of Latin America, has said the U.S. plans to expand land strikes. And that raises a practical question. Which governments will let American forces operate inside their countries? The Trump administration has spent months pressing regionals. Regional leaders to step up their military offensives against trafficking groups and to permit joint operations with the U.S. Washington has assembled an 18-country coalition committed to helping dismantle cartels. But signing on to that effort is different from authorizing American operations on their own territory. So far, only a handful of governments have formally agreed to those joint operations. Colombia and Honduras are among them. Both have pivoted. The U.S. has pivoted from left-wing governments and elected conservative presidents endorsed by President Trump. That reflects a broader political shift across Latin America, where voters have elected leaders promising to confront criminal organizations and restore public safety. Those changes give Washington an opening to work more closely with governments willing to confront the cartels. For the soldiers now deploying, those assignments remain training and support. But they're erupting. And their arrival does put more American military muscle behind U.S. efforts to help the regional partners take on the cartels. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Thursday, the 15th of October. If you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, just reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, well, you can do that. It's very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here with a pro tip for a company that you have got to check out. The company is called Sheath. That's spelled S-H-E-A-T-H. Here's the thing. We've all dealt with underwear. They constantly. They constantly need adjusting, right, during a busy day or a workout. And that's why comfort, frankly, should be non-negotiable, and why making the switch to Sheath makes all the difference. 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