PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 7th, 2026: U.S. Strikes Iran’s Kharg Island & First Look at Moon’s Far Side

April 7, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 7th, 2026

The United States has launched a major strike on Iran's Kharg Island, hitting more than fifty military targets just hours before President Trump's 8 PM Eastern deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the Artemis II crew has completed a historic flyby of the moon's far side, setting a new record for human spaceflight and capturing imagery no human has ever seen before.

U.S. Strikes Kharg Island as Deadline Nears

The U.S. military carried out a significant new round of strikes on Kharg Island, the small outcrop in the Persian Gulf that handles roughly ninety percent of Iran's crude oil shipments. According to U.S. officials, the strikes targeted only military infrastructure on the island, including defensive systems and storage sites tied to Iran's ability to operate in and around the Persian Gulf. U.S. intelligence had indicated that Tehran reinforced Kharg Island in recent weeks, moving in additional personnel and air defense systems—including shoulder-fired and surface-to-air missiles—in anticipation of a possible U.S. operation.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:52) **U.S. Strikes Iran’s Kharg Island** - The U.S. carries out a major strike on Iran's Kharg Island, hitting over 50 military targets but deliberately avoiding oil export facilities.
2 (03:12) **Iran Cuts Diplomatic Channels, Prepares for Escalation** - Tehran has cut direct diplomatic communications with the U.S. but reportedly keeps an ACOM channel open.
3 (05:48) **Analysis: The Stakes of Trump's Ultimatum** - The host analyzes the situation, noting the regime's ideological leadership may be unwilling to de-escalate.
4 (10:23) **Artemis II: Historic Flyby of the Moon's Far Side** - The Artemis II crew completes a seven-hour flyby of the moon's far side, setting a new record for human spaceflight distance.
5 (12:16) **Artemis II: 'Earthset' and Solar Eclipse** - The crew records an 'earthset' as Earth disappears behind the lunar horizon, and witnesses a nearly hour-long solar eclipse from lunar orbit.
6 (13:05) **Artemis II: Data Collection and Return** - NASA says most data and imagery from the flyby won't be fully processed until after the crew returns to Earth.
7 Standout Quotes

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Show Notes

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:

U.S. forces launch strikes on Kharg Island, targeting Iran’s most critical economic hub just hours before President Trump’s deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz—raising the stakes as diplomacy begins to slip away.

An update on the Artemis II mission, as astronauts return from a historic journey to the far side of the moon, capturing images and data from a region no human has ever fully observed.

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