PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 11th, 2026: Strikes Are Spreading Across Iran & Anthropic Warns of AI Bioweapon Risks

It's Friday, the 11th of September, 25 years on from 9-11. Now, if you care to remind yourself what that feeling was like in the wake of that terrible day, or maybe you're trying to explain it to a young person, might I suggest watching the U2 tribute from the Super Bowl halftime show back on the 3rd of February, 2002? Just a thought. 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, labor unrest is spreading across Iran, with truckers, taxi drivers, and rideshare workers striking as fuel shortages and soaring costs continue to squeeze ordinarily. Later in the show, we'll look at a new warning from Anthropic that people are already trying to use advanced AI for cyber attacks, weapons development, and potentially dangerous biological research. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We've been watching the economic pressure build inside Iran for some time now. That includes the country's shrinking oil revenues, the collapse of the rial, the rising inflation, and more recently, growing fuel shortages and higher prices. Now, those problems are creating the biggest threat to the regime's grip on power, mounting frustration among ordinary Iranians and a growing wave of labor unrest across the country. According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, Iran is struggling with long lines at gas stations, fuel shortages, and now strikes and protests by truckers and taxi drivers and rideshare workers. The immediate trigger is a new round of fuel price increases. This week, the Iranian government doubled the prices, increasing the prices of some gasoline once drivers exhaust their cheap monthly fuel allotment. By American standards, gasoline in Iran is still extraordinarily cheap. The higher rate works out to roughly 4 cents per liter. But that number looks very different inside an economy where many Iranians earn little more than the equivalent of $100 a month. Filling up after the cheapest government-subsidized fuel runs out can now cost roughly $2 for a car and $5 for a truck. At the same time, Tehran has already reduced the amount of "subsidized" fuel available to some drivers. And in parts of the country, there simply isn't enough fuel to go around. The Journal reports that some gas stations ran dry as drivers rushed to fill their tanks before the new prices took effect. The shortages are increasingly affecting people who depend on their vehicles to earn a living. And that's where this economic story becomes a labor story. The frustration is no longer limited to complaints about prices or long lines at gas stations, in several parts of the country, workers are now protesting, staging strikes, and threatening to stop moving goods altogether. On Thursday, 120 taxi drivers in Kerman Province protested cuts to their subsidized fuel allocation, saying they now run out of their allotted supply well before the month ends. Drivers for Snap, that's Iran's version of Uber, have also gone on strike in several cities. The company is one of Iran's largest private employers, with roughly 3 million drivers. In the industrial city of Arak, dozens gathered outside the governor's office this week, saying they could no longer make ends meet. In Semnan, east of Tehran, rideshare drivers reportedly drove through the city in protest over the weekend, blocking traffic. In one video cited by the Journal, a driver declared that everyone had stopped working. Truck drivers are also warning that the situation is becoming untenable. Truckers at the Mehran crossing along Iran's border with Iraq staged a one-day strike late last week. Last month, over fuel shortages. That crossing plays an important role in bringing food and other staples into the country. And on Tuesday, truckers in Bandar Abbas, the port that handles most of Iran's container traffic, warned that they could walk off the job as well. In a statement, they said drivers and their families were being forced to absorb the rising cost of fuel and could no longer bear the pressure. That is particularly significant because these aren't workers on the margins of the Iran economy. They are responsible for moving people, food, commercial goods, and other essentials around the country. And according to one Iranian trucking official, the shortages drivers are facing now are worse than what they experienced during the first month of the war. He said the truckers kept cargo moving even under missile attacks and did not stop the flow of goods. Today, those same drivers are spending hours waiting in line just to refuel. The broader economic picture is just as grim. Food inflation reportedly hit 120. Twenty-eight percent in August. The Iranian rial fell to another record low this week, crossing 2.3 million rial to the dollar. And businesses are adapting to a population that increasingly can't afford basic expenses. The blockade and the war are restricting Iran's ability to export oil and bring in revenue. Damage to refineries is making it harder to produce enough gasoline at home. And the government is increasingly being forced to reduce the subsidies that it's used for years. The protests that erupted at the beginning of this year in Iran started in the markets. Frustration over the economy and daily hardships facing ordinary Iranians. Of course, the IRGC and the Basij militia managed to kill their way out of the moment of civil unrest earlier in the year. Thousands of Iranians lost their lives as the regime once again demonstrated their desire to hold on to power at any cost. And the regime continues to detain and execute anyone that they view as a threat. The question is, will the brutal methods of the regime keep the people off the streets this time around? You can guarantee that the mullahs, the IRGC leadership, the Basij militia commanders and other elites are not waiting in line for gas or rationing their food in order to feed their families. That economic pain is being pushed down to the population. A population that fully understands the costs of taking to the streets. Alright, coming up next. Anthropix says some of the darkest fears surrounding artificial intelligence are starting to show up in the real world. From cyber attacks to weapons and bioweapons research. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here with a tip on how to jumpstart your day. Now, personally, I've been trying to rethink my morning routine lately, especially when it comes to how much caffeine I actually need. And that's where Mudwater comes in. 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And after your purchase, well, they'll ask where you heard about them. If you don't mind, do me a favor, tell them the PDB sent you. Welcome back to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Anthropic. The company behind Claude. The company behind Claude says it's seeing troubling examples of how advanced artificial intelligence is being used in the real world. In a new threat report released Thursday, the company says it disrupted activity involving cyber attacks, surveillance, propaganda, weapons development, and potentially dangerous biological research. The bioweapons cases are probably the most alarming. Anthropic says it identified five instances in which users employed its models for work that could potentially support biological weapons. In one case, virologists working under a state-sponsored grant were pursuing gain-of-function research -- oh, good, I don't see how that goes wrong -- involving what's called the chikungunya virus. I didn't make up that name. Let's try that one again. The chikungunya virus. Who came up with that? Anthropic says a reseller helped them get around regional restrictions, and when Claude refused certain requests, routed some of those prompts to models with weaker safeguards. In another case, a researcher spent $1.5 million on the Chikungunya virus, and when Claude refused, the company said it was a risk. In another case, the company said it was a risk. In other cases, the company said it was a risk. when successfully created a biological weapon using its technology. In fact, the company says there's still no demonstrated real-world case showing that an AI model enabled someone to do that. But the concern is that the technology is getting closer to the point where it could provide meaningful assistance. Anthropic says older models were clearly below that threshold. With today's more capable systems, the company says it can no longer make that same assurance. That's prompted stronger restrictions around biological research activities that could have both legitimate but also dangerous applications. Anthropic says it's also disrupted users employing Claude for cyber operations, surveillance, and influence campaigns. Separate testing released by the company found that advanced AI models can now perform some military and intelligence tasks that historically required highly trained specialists, including piecing together fragmentary information to locate potential targets and helping improve weapons such as drones. Anthropic says it's responded by banning accounts, strengthening safeguards, and sharing information with authorities and other companies when appropriate. But the larger point is that some of the national security risks surrounding artificial intelligence are no longer hypothetical. And as the models become more capable, the question is whether the safeguards around them can improve fast enough to keep pace with the people trying to get around those safeguards. And that, my friends, on that cheery note, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday, the 11th of September. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. Now, as a wise man once said, every Friday, we launch a brand new episode of our extended weekend show, the PDB Situation Report. This week's guests include Steve Yates from the Heritage Foundation and Benham Ben-Taliblu, head of the Iran Program for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. You can catch it this evening at 10 p.m. on the First TV and, as always, on our YouTube channel. Just head on over to YouTube and search up At President's Daily Brief or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back over the weekend with the PDB Situation Report. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. ♪ music playing ♪