PDB Afternoon Bulletin | June 10th, 2026: Iran Attacks U.S. Bases Across The Middle East & Taiwan's HIMARS Warning To China

**Mike Baker** (0:12)
It's Wednesday, the 10th of June. Welcome to The PDB Afternoon Bulletin. All right, to be fair, it's the Early Evening Bulletin for today. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First up, the tit for tat between Washington and Tehran continues. After US forces struck Iranian military targets last night, Iran has now launched missiles and drones at American bases in the region. How's that ceasefire working out? We'll have the latest details.
Later in the show, Taiwan fires High Mars rockets from a beach facing China, giving the world a glimpse of how it possibly plans to repel a future invasion. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Iran has responded to last night's strikes, which of course followed the regime's downing of US helicopter, launching missiles and drones at US military installations across the Middle East in the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran.
According to US and regional officials, Iranian forces targeted American positions in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain overnight. Jordan's military says it intercepted five missiles headed toward the Azerak region, home to a major air base used by US forces. Kuwait's military reported intercepting hostile targets, while Bahrain said its air defenses successfully repelled incoming attacks. A US official told The New York Times that Iran launched multiple missiles and drones against American bases, but nearly all were intercepted. As of this recording, there have been no reports of American casualties or significant damage to US facilities.
The attacks mark Iran's response to the American strikes that we reported on this morning. As a reminder, the US Central Command launched three waves of strikes Tuesday evening after investigators determined that an Iranian one-way attack drone had brought down an American Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.
Those strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, surveillance radar sites, and ground control stations near the strategic waterway. According to CENTCOM, American air force and Navy fighter jets used precision-guided munitions to hit targets near Sirik, Jaisk, and Khashim Island, areas that form part of Iran's coastal network around the Strait of Hormuz.
The Pentagon described the operation as a proportional response to what it called Iran's unjustified aggression.
Now, Iran has answered. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the overnight attacks and warned that any additional American military action would trigger what it called more severe and widespread strikes against US targets throughout the region.
Iran also claims to have shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone during the exchange, though that report has not been independently confirmed.
At first glance, the latest developments may appear to signal that both countries are once again sliding toward a broader conflict. But as discussed in yesterday's PDB, there are also signs that both sides are trying to keep this confrontation contained. Consider the pattern that's emerged over the last 48 hours. An Iranian drone brings down an American Apache helicopter. The United States responds with strikes against Iranian military infrastructure. Iran then retaliates with missile and drone attacks against American facilities in the region. In each case, the response has been calibrated. The United States obstruct radar sites, air defense systems, and ground control stations rather than nuclear facilities or senior military leaders or strategic infrastructure deeper inside Iran. Likewise, while Iran launched missiles and drones at American bases, there are currently no reports of US casualties. And notably, Iranian officials continue to insist that the Apache helicopter shoot down itself was not intentional. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghshid has suggested the helicopter may have been caught in crossfire in just an accident or brought down amid the tense operating environment surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. Other Iranian officials have similarly denied deliberately targeting the aircraft. Well, if Iranian regime officials say so, I'm sure you can take that to the bank. But diplomatically, it does provide Tehran with a way to avoid claiming responsibility for an incident that triggered American retaliation.
Perhaps the strongest evidence that neither side is eager to restart the war comes not from the battlefield, but from the negotiating table. Despite the helicopter shoot down and despite the American strikes and despite Iran's retaliatory missile attacks, negotiations between Washington and Tehran supposedly, in some fashion, continue. A senior White House official told Fox News that talks remain ongoing. Meanwhile, a delegation of Qatari officials arrived in Tehran on Wednesday as part of a continuing effort to broker an agreement between the two sides.
Now, in most conflicts, diplomacy collapses before missiles begin flying. Here, missiles are flying while diplomacy supposedly continues. It is an admittedly bizarre scene. Both sides clinging to the imaginary ceasefire while repeatedly exchanging missile and drone fire in a limited fashion, while the US continues to express optimism about negotiations. Hmm. All right. Coming up next, Taiwan is practicing for the fight that it hopes never comes. We'll look at a major live fire exercise that offers new insight into how Taipei plans to defend itself from a potential Chinese assault. I'll be right back.