Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
The United States and Iran are at war. American planes have attacked Iran for eleven nights in a row.
President Trump has a new warning. He says the US will bomb an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran hits a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a narrow sea passage where many oil ships travel.
Iran also fired missiles and drones at Jordan. Jordan's army stopped eight of the ten weapons before they could hit anything.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke to the US Senate. He said the war has already cost about $37.5 billion. He wants $67 billion more money for the war.
- war
- fighting between two countries or groups
- attack
- a violent action against someone or something
- warning
- a statement that tells people something bad might happen
- bomb
- to destroy something using explosives
- strait
- a narrow strip of water that connects two larger seas
- missile
- a weapon that flies through the air and explodes when it hits something
- drone
- a small flying machine with no pilot inside it
- defense
- actions taken to protect against attack
Level 2 — Elementary
The war between the United States and Iran has entered its eleventh straight night, with American forces continuing airstrikes across Iran.
President Trump issued a fresh warning this week. He said the US would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran strikes a ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries much of the world's oil traffic.
The conflict also reached Jordan, where air defense systems shot down eight of ten projectiles, six missiles and four drones, that Iran fired into Jordanian territory.
Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the war has already cost the United States about $37.5 billion, and the Pentagon is now requesting an additional $67 billion to continue the campaign.
- consecutive
- following one after another without a break
- airstrike
- an attack carried out by military aircraft
- waterway
- a river, canal, or channel that ships can travel through
- traffic
- the movement of ships, vehicles, or other transport along a route
- projectile
- an object, such as a missile or bullet, that is shot through the air
- testify
- to give a formal statement, often in front of a court or government committee
- campaign
- a series of military operations carried out for a particular goal
- additional
- more than what already exists; extra
Level 3 — Intermediate
The conflict between the United States and Iran has entered its eleventh consecutive night of American airstrikes, with President Trump escalating his rhetoric toward Tehran even as diplomatic channels remain open in Pakistan.
In his latest warning, Trump declared that the United States would retaliate against any Iranian strike on a merchant vessel by destroying an Iranian bridge or power plant, effectively tying future US military action directly to Iran's behavior in the Strait of Hormuz, the vital chokepoint through which a large share of the world's seaborne oil passes.
The war's reach extended further this week when Iran launched six missiles and four drones into Jordanian territory; Jordanian air defenses intercepted eight of the ten projectiles, underscoring how the conflict is drawing in US allies well beyond Iran's immediate borders.
Appearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed that the war has cost the United States approximately $37.5 billion to date, and the Pentagon is now seeking an additional $67 billion, even as a senior Iranian official held talks in Pakistan aimed at reviving a collapsed ceasefire.
- escalate
- to increase in intensity or seriousness
- rhetoric
- language intended to persuade or influence, often in a political context
- retaliate
- to attack in return for a similar attack
- vessel
- a ship or large boat
- chokepoint
- a narrow route through which traffic must pass, making it strategically important
- intercept
- to stop or catch something before it reaches its target
- underscore
- to emphasize or draw attention to something
- disclose
- to make known information that was previously secret
Level 4 — Advanced
The war between the United States and Iran has ground into its eleventh consecutive night of American airstrikes, with President Trump sharpening his rhetoric toward Tehran even as a fragile diplomatic track persists in Islamabad.
Trump's latest warning effectively codifies a doctrine of proportional retaliation, pledging to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant for every merchant vessel Iran strikes, a formulation that binds future American military escalation directly to Iranian conduct within the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint through which a substantial share of the world's seaborne crude oil transits.
The conflict's geographic footprint widened further this week when Iran launched six missiles and four drones into Jordanian territory; Jordanian air defenses intercepted eight of the ten projectiles, a development that illustrates how the confrontation is increasingly implicating US allies situated well beyond Iran's immediate periphery.
Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed that the campaign has cost the United States approximately $37.5 billion to date, with the Pentagon now requesting an additional $67 billion, even as a senior Iranian official pursued talks in Pakistan aimed at resuscitating a collapsed ceasefire.
- codify
- to arrange rules or practices into a formal, systematic form
- doctrine
- a stated principle or policy, especially in politics or the military
- proportional
- matching in degree or amount to something else
- formulation
- a precisely expressed statement or plan
- transit
- to pass through or across a place
- footprint
- the extent or scope of something's impact or presence
- periphery
- the outer edge or boundary of an area
- resuscitate
- to revive something that has weakened or nearly failed
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