PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 8th, 2026: U.S. Launches Strikes On Iran & Russia Targets Starlink

**Mike Baker** (0:00)
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It's Wednesday, the 8th of July. 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 ceasefire, well, the sort of ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to have collapsed after Tehran's attack on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. I'll have the latest. Later in the show, Russia is trying to jam Elon Musk's Starlink network in an effort to blot Ukraine's expanding drone campaign. But first, today's afternoon spotlight.
The ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to be over. Overnight, American forces launched a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets after the regime attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. Iran has since retaliated with missile and drone attacks targeting US military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, prompting President Trump to declare that, as far as he's concerned, the interim agreement or memorandum of understanding or whatever we wanted to call it, reached the last month, is now finished. Now before we get into the latest developments, a quick reminder. Yesterday here on the PDB, we told you about the attacks on the commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. It's a clear violation of the ceasefire framework that was supposed to guarantee safe passage through one of the world's most important waterways. Well, overnight, Washington answered. According to US Central Command, American forces launched a series of precision strikes against Iranian military infrastructure along the country's southern coast. Officials say the operation targeted air defense systems, coastal radar installations, surveillance sites, drone launch positions, anti-ship cruise missiles, and more than 60 fast attack boats belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC. Those are the small craft that the Guard uses as part of their effort to harass commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf.
In a statement, CENTCOM said the strikes were intended to, quote, impose heavy costs on Iran for attacking innocent civilian shipping in international waters. The military added that the operation has concluded for now, but warned that US forces remain fully prepared to respond again should Iran continue violating the agreement. Iranian state media acknowledged explosions near Bandar Abbas, Kesham Island and several other coastal locations, though officials have not released casualty figures or provided an assessment of the damage. But Washington's response wasn't limited to military action. In a move that could ultimately prove just as consequential, the Trump administration also revoked the recently approved Treasury license that had allowed Iran to openly sell crude oil on international markets as part of last month's MOU. That license represented one of Tehran's biggest economic victories under the ceasefire. For the first time in years, Iran had been permitted to conduct oil sales openly and receive payment in US dollars rather than relying on sanctions evasion networks and discounted sales primarily to China.
With that waiver now revoked, the economic pressure campaign against the Iranian regime appears to be back on.
Iran, for its part, quickly condemned both the military strikes and the restoration of oil sanctions, accusing Washington of violating the ceasefire agreement. Iranian officials argued that the US had breached the deal not only by attacking Iranian territory but also by refusing to recognize Tehran's claimed authority over shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz and by continuing to support Israeli military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon. And the Iranian regime set all of that with a straight face. Iranian parliament speaker, Mohamed Bagher Ghalibov, declared that, the era of bullying and extortion is over. We don't fold.
And then hours later, Iran responded militarily. Air raid sirens sounded across both Bahrain and Kuwait after Iranian forces launched what officials described as a coordinated barrage of missiles and drones targeting American military facilities. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for attacks against the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, the Ali al-Salam airbase in Kuwait, and other American military positions across the Gulf.
Kuwaiti officials say at least two ballistic missiles and 13 drones were launched toward their territory, though all were reportedly intercepted before reaching their targets. Bahrain likewise announced that its air defenses successfully thwarted incoming Iranian attacks.
There have been no reports of casualties. The IRGC also claimed that it shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone during the operation, though American officials have not confirmed that assertion. The renewed fighting is already reverberating well beyond the battlefield. Several oil and liquefied natural gas tankers reportedly turned around, rather than attempt passage to the Strait of Hormuz following the latest attacks, highlighting the continued instability in and around the waterway.