NPR News: 06-28-2026 3PM EDT

“He’s turned one hundred, which still makes him a spring chicken next to the character he and Carl Reiner made famous.” That line from NPR’s Bob Mondello captures the tone of a news roundup that moves from a deepening crisis in the Persian Gulf to a devastating earthquake in Venezuela, a political standoff in Washington, and a NASA rescue mission for an aging telescope—all in the span of about three minutes.

Iran strikes back after U.S. air raids

Iran launched a series of drone and missile attacks against targets in Bahrain and Kuwait overnight, responding to a new round of U.S. airstrikes on Tehran. Speaking through a BBC interpreter, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Raji, called on all parties to abide by a memo of understanding previously signed with the United States. He warned that adopting “new or separate arrangements” from those currently being implemented by Iran would only complicate the situation, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and raise the level of tension. Raji specifically referenced “incidents in the strait over the past two nights that led to increased tensions and clashes.” He urged all parties not to interfere in Iran’s management of the strait, adding that any challenge to its control would jeopardize reopening. The statement leaves the impression that Iran sees the strait as both a lever and a flashpoint—and that the two nights of U.S. str