PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 28th, 2026: Eight U.S. Marines Injured in Iranian Missile Attack & RAF Fairford Investigation Widens
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The other thing card.
It's Monday, the 28th of September. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed.
How did an Iranian missile strike injure eight U.S. Marines in the Strait of Hormuz?
First up, new reporting reveals that eight U.S. Marines were injured when an Iranian anti-ship missile struck a U.S. contracted vessel in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month. Now I'll have the details. Later in the show, new details and the suspected protected terror plot near RAF Fairford as investigators examine whether the men arrested were acting on behalf of a foreign state. Oh, and not to bury the lead, all five men are being released on bail. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Nearly two weeks after an Iranian missile struck a U.S. contracted vessel near the Strait of Hormoz, we're now learning that eight American Marines were aboard that ship, and all eight of them were injured. According to NBC News, citing three U.S.
officials, the Marines were operating as part of a battalion landing team when an Iranian anti-ship cruise missile hit their vessel on the 14th of September. Seven of the Marines were enlisted personnel. one was an officer. None of the injuries were described as life threatening. The Marines reportedly suffered smoke inhalation and concussion like symptoms. All eight have since reportedly returned to duty. Now, we did know that Iran had hit a U.S. contracted vessel. Two days after the attack, Fox News reported that a ship operating around the Strait of Hormuz had been struck during an Iranian attack involving four drones and at least one missile. Sources said some U.S. personnel were aboard and that there had been minor injuries, including smoke inhalation.
What is still unknown about the vessel carrying Marines and Iran’s targeting?
What we didn't know was who those American personnel were. Were, we now know that they were Marines, and apparently every Marine aboard the ship was hurt. But there are still some significant unanswered questions here. For one, we still don't know exactly what kind of vessel these Marines were operating from. NBC's sources say it was not a U.S. Navy ship. Fox described it earlier as a U.S.
Why did the Pentagon add 37 wounded service members to its casualty database?
contracted vessel, but neither CENCOM nor the Pentagon has publicly identified this ship. explained its mission, or said why a Marine battalion landing team was aboard. We also don't know whether the Iranians knew that Marines were on that vessel when they launched the attack. There's also another piece of the story that surfaced before NBC's latest report. Last week, the Washington Post noticed that the Pentagon had quietly added another 37 wounded service members to its public casualty database from the Iran conflict. That included 29 sailors and eight Marines. The Pentagon did not publicly explain how or when those troops had been injured, and CENCCOM declined to combat when
How does Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz threaten U.S. forces?
The post asked about the increase. Defense officials have said that there can be delays in adding casualties to the database, particularly when we're talking about concussions or traumatic brain injuries, because the symptoms don't always appear immediately. So there's no evidence at this point that the Pentagon deliberately concealed those injuries. But it does mean that almost two weeks after this attack, we're still learning basic details about an incident in which an Iranian missile struck a vessel carrying American troops. The Strait of Hormuz, of course, remains at the center of the confrontation between Washington and Tehran. Iran continues to use control of the strait as leverage. The US has, of course, tried to break that leverage.
Meanwhile, American forces are still operating in and around those waters. The september fourteenth strike does raise questions that remain unanswered today. What exactly was that vessel doing? Why were Marines aboard? And perhaps more importantly, to what extent does the Iranian regime still maintain the ability to target US forces and commercial shipping operating in and around the Strait of Hormuz? All right. Coming up next, the RAF Fairford Terror Investigation that we reported on this morning continues, with police now examining whether the suspects may have been linked to Iran or another foreign government, and as the suspects are reportedly released on bail.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:21
2
How did an Iranian missile strike injure eight U.S. Marines in the Strait of Hormuz?
0:21–1:52
3
What is still unknown about the vessel carrying Marines and Iran’s targeting?
1:52–2:16
4
Why did the Pentagon add 37 wounded service members to its casualty database?
2:16–2:57
5
How does Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz threaten U.S. forces?
2:57–6:28
6
What is known about the RAF Fairford arrests and the suspects’ release on bail?
6:28–7:45
7
Could Iran or another foreign government be linked to the RAF Fairford investigation?
7:45–9:04
8
How did police learn about the vans near RAF Fairford, and was the arrest intelligence-led?
9:04–12:22
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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