Iran targets US bases across Gulf in escalating tit-for-tat

▪ Iran responds to U.S. strikes overnight

▪ Platner glides to nomination in Maine

▪ Reconciliation bill heads to Trump’s desk

▪ U.S. contends with spreading screwworm

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Iran responded overnight to U.S. retaliatory strikes with attacks of its own targeting American bases and other sites in allied countries across the Middle East, posing perhaps the biggest test yet to a two-month-old ceasefire.

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it conducted 21 attacks against U.S bases in the region, including the Al Azraq American military base in Jordan, and shot down a MQ-9 drone over Iran. A U.S. official told The New York Times that all incoming missile and drone strikes were intercepted, with no reported damage to U.S. bases.

Jordan said it shot down five missiles that Iran had launched at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, which hosts U.S. forces. The country’s state-run news agency said there were no injuries from the attack.

Bahrain’s military said its air defenses also intercepted and destroyed missiles that had been aimed at civilians. The Kuwait Army also said its air defenses intercepted hostile targets.

Iran said the strikes were in response to U.S. strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, which also destroyed two water desalination plants in the southern Hormozgan Province, according to Iran’s state broadcaster.

The U.S. launched its strikes Tuesday on Iran in response to the downing of a U.S. AH-64 Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz overnight Monday that President Trump blamed on the regime.

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said its force started launching “self-defense strikes” against Iran at 5 p.m. EDT at Trump’s direction, calling it a “proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.”

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the two pilots on board the helicopter were unharmed but the U.S. “must, out of necessity, respond to this attack.”

Centcom said the helicopter went down Monday evening off the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters. The two pilots were rescued by U.S. forces, using an unmanned Navy vessel, within two hours.

Trump has said for weeks that a deal with Iran may be close, but the escalating tit-for-tat threatens to further complicate negotiations.

“We prefer the language of diplomacy, but we speak other languages far more fluently. Break your commitments, and we’ll switch to what we speak best,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a post on the social platform X.

The back-and-forth comes days after Iran and Israel engaged in their first direct attacks on each other since the ceasefire went into effect in early April. Iran first launched ballistic missiles against Israel to warn against an Israeli incursion into Lebanon.

Despite a push from Trump to not respond, Israel launched its own strikes against Iran. The two sides both agreed to pause further strikes at least for now but warned they could resume.

Oil prices remained steady in early trading Wednesday with Brent crude oil standing at about $90 per barrel.

Gas prices have been dropping in recent weeks, but a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday showed most U.S. adults expect gas prices to worsen over the next year as the war unsettles global markets.

▪ The Hill: Trump’s ‘dealmaker-in-chief’ reputation comes under attack.

▪ The Hill: GOP wants more answers before approving Iran funding.

Bill Gates will appear today before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as part of the panel’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Gates has faced scrutiny over his contact with Epstein after the disgraced financier became a convicted sex offender.

The Trump administration is launching a ‘premium’ expedited visa interview service next month, allowing foreigners to secure appointments within 10 days for an additional $750, on top of the standard $185 application fee, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. The program will be available at select embassies and consulates.

Kenyan police killed a protester and arrested about 20 more during demonstrations on Tuesday against a quarantine center in Kenya for Americans exposed to Ebola, eyewitnesses and rights workers told Reuters.

Graham........

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