Mike Baker

It's Monday, the 1st of June.

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, despite what Washington and Tehran continue to call a ceasefire, the U.S.

and Iran are once again trading missiles and airstrikes across the Persian Gulf.

proving once again that apparently we've rewritten the definition of ceasefire.

And later in the show, as the U.S.

and Iran trade blows in the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine continue doing the same, with both sides launching fresh strikes far beyond the front lines.

But first, today's afternoon spotlight.

Just days after Washington and Tehran were talking about a potential diplomatic breakthrough, the U.S.

and Iran are again trading blows.

And while officials on both sides continue to describe the current situation as a ceasefire, it's becoming increasingly difficult to square that description with what's actually happening on the ground.

Over the weekend, U.S.

Central Command announced that American forces carried out what it described as, quote, self-defense strikes against Iranian military targets in southern Iran.

According to CENTCOM, the operation targeted radar installations in drone command and control facilities near the city of Gorak and on Qeshm Island.

Now, American officials say the strikes were launched in response to a series of aggressive Iranian actions, including the shoot-down of a USMQ-1 surveillance drone that was operating over international waters.

CENTCOM says U.S.

fighter aircraft responded by destroying Iranian air defenses, a drone ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that American commanders believed posed a threat to shipping in the region.

Iran, meanwhile, tells a different story.