Mike Baker

Welcome to the PDB Situation Report.

I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage.

All right, let's get briefed.

First up, while the world focuses on the escalating tensions between the U.S.

and Iran, conditions inside Iran continue to deteriorate.

We'll get an inside look from our friend Ali Reza Jafazadeh of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

Later in the show, it's been five months since the fall of Nicolas Maduro.

You remember that.

And the U.S.

and Venezuela are continuing to rebuild relations after years of hostility.

We'll be joined by Rick De La Torre.

He's a retired CIA operations officer and former station chief for Caracas.

Great experience down there.

For more insight into that situation.

But first, today's Situation Report spotlight.

Over the past week, headlines have focused on the escalating tit-for-tat, that's a military term, on the tit-for-tat strikes between the U.S.

and Iran, as well as the ongoing tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and the impact on global markets.

While much of the world's attention has been fixed on the broader regional crisis, conditions inside Iran continue to deteriorate.

Reports indicate the regime is intensifying its crackdown on dissidents,

and political opponents, even as the country faces increasing economic hardships and growing public frustration.