Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
The United States and Iran do not agree on many things.
President Trump said Iran has one last chance to make peace.
He warned that something very bad could happen if Iran says no.
Qatar is a country that is helping with the talks. Qatar said new papers about a deal are being shared.
- peace
- a time with no fighting or war
- president
- the leader of a country like the United States
- country
- a place with its own government and people
- chance
- an opportunity to do something
- talks
- meetings where people discuss a problem
- deal
- an agreement between two sides
- warn
- to tell someone about a danger before it happens
- share
- to give or show something to others
Level 2 — Elementary
President Trump said Monday that new talks between the United States and Iran are Tehran's "last chance" to sign a deal, warning of serious consequences, which he called "decapitation," if Iran refuses.
Trump described a two-part plan. The first part would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, an important waterway for oil ships. The second part would deal with Iran's nuclear program.
Trump said the US had planned a huge attack on Iran, but leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar asked him to give Iran one more chance instead.
On Tuesday, Qatar's foreign ministry said drafts of a possible agreement between the US and Iran are being shared, though it did not confirm that direct talks were happening yet.
- consequence
- a result that happens because of an earlier action
- waterway
- a river, canal, or strait that ships can travel through
- nuclear program
- a country's work on nuclear technology or weapons
- draft
- an early, unfinished version of a written agreement
- foreign ministry
- the government department that handles relations with other countries
- refuse
- to say no to something
- huge
- extremely large in size
- confirm
- to say clearly that something is true
Level 3 — Intermediate
President Trump asserted on Monday that renewed negotiations with Iran constitute Tehran's "last chance" to finalize an agreement, cautioning that failure to do so would invite what he bluntly termed "decapitation."
Trump outlined a phased framework, describing an initial stage centered on fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, which he claimed could occur "literally by tomorrow," followed by a second stage addressing Iran's nuclear ambitions.
According to Trump, the United States had prepared what he described as its largest planned strike since World War II before intervention by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, whose leaders urged a final diplomatic opening.
Qatar's foreign ministry offered a more measured account on Tuesday, acknowledging that drafts of a prospective agreement were circulating between the parties while stopping short of confirming that direct negotiations had resumed.
- assert
- to state something firmly and confidently
- finalize
- to complete or settle the last details of something
- caution
- to warn someone about possible danger
- phased
- carried out in a series of stages over time
- intervention
- action taken to change the course of a situation
- diplomatic
- relating to managing relations between countries
- measured
- careful and controlled, not exaggerated
- circulate
- to pass from one person or place to another
Level 4 — Advanced
President Trump escalated his rhetoric toward Tehran on Monday, characterizing the resumption of negotiations as Iran's definitive "last chance" to conclude an accord and cautioning, in stark terms, that continued intransigence would culminate in "decapitation."
He articulated a bifurcated diplomatic sequence: an opening phase devoted to the unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic, a development he insisted could materialize "literally by tomorrow," succeeded by a more protracted second phase confronting Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Trump further disclosed that Washington had assembled what he characterized as its most extensive planned offensive since the Second World War, an operation he claims was forestalled only through the eleventh hour intercession of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, each of whom lobbied for a final diplomatic reprieve.
Qatar's foreign ministry, for its part, offered a considerably more circumspect assessment on Tuesday, conceding that drafts of a prospective accord were in circulation while conspicuously declining to corroborate the American president's characterization of talks as actively underway.
- escalate
- to make a conflict or situation more serious or intense
- intransigence
- an unwillingness to compromise or change one's position
- bifurcated
- divided into two distinct parts or branches
- maritime
- relating to the sea or shipping
- protracted
- lasting for a long time or longer than expected
- eleventh hour
- the very last possible moment before something happens
- circumspect
- careful to avoid risk, cautious about what one says
- corroborate
- to confirm or give supporting evidence for a claim
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