Level 1 - Absolute Beginner
Two cargo ships have sunk in the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a narrow sea road for oil and goods. CNN reported the news on Thursday.
Iran says one ship hit a mine in the water. Experts are not sure. They think a drone attack is more likely.
Very few ships now pass through the strait. One tracker says only about 4 percent of the usual number sail there. The United States is thinking about easier rules for some oil tankers to lower shipping costs.
- cargo ship
- a big ship that carries goods
- strait
- a narrow sea road between two lands
- sink
- to go down under the water
- mine
- a hidden bomb in the sea
- drone
- a small plane with no pilot
- expert
- a person who knows a lot about a subject
- oil
- a thick liquid used for fuel
- cost
- the money you pay for something
Level 2 - Elementary
Two cargo ships have sunk in the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reported on Thursday. Data from the International Maritime Organization shows they are only the second and third ships to sink in the Middle East since the war with Iran began in February.
Iranian state media says a sea mine caused the sinking. Many experts doubt this. They believe a drone strike is the more likely cause. A maritime monitor says it confirmed three attacks on ships this week.
Traffic in the strait has almost stopped. One tracker says the seven day average is about 4 percent of the level before the war, and for tankers it is only about 1 percent. Reuters reports that the United States may ease sanctions on Iran's shadow fleet of tankers to bring down record shipping costs.
- sanctions
- rules that punish a country by limiting trade
- monitor
- a group that watches and reports events
- confirm
- to say that something is true
- shadow fleet
- oil tankers that sail in secret
- average
- a middle number from many numbers
- data
- facts and numbers
- doubt
- to not be sure that something is true
- record
- higher or lower than ever before
Level 3 - Intermediate
Two cargo ships have gone down in the Strait of Hormuz, according to CNN, adding to a run of attacks on merchant shipping as the war between the United States and Iran approaches the midterm elections on November 3. Data from the International Maritime Organization indicates the vessels are only the second and third to sink in the Middle East since fighting began in February.
Tehran's version is that a sea mine was responsible, a claim echoed by the Revolutionary Guards, who said a ship sank after striking one. Independent specialists are skeptical, arguing that a drone strike is far more plausible. A maritime monitor said it had confirmed three strikes on ships this week and warned that vessels remain at risk even when they switch off their tracking systems.
The commercial effect is severe. One tracker puts seven day average transits at roughly 4 percent of pre-war levels, with tankers at about 1 percent. Reuters reported that Washington is weighing easing sanctions on Iran's shadow fleet to bring down record shipping costs, while President Trump said peace has been harder to reach because key Iranian leaders were taken out.
- merchant shipping
- ships that carry goods for business
- Revolutionary Guards
- a powerful branch of Iran's armed forces
- skeptical
- doubting that a claim is true
- plausible
- likely to be true
- transit
- a passage through a place
- pre-war
- before the war began
- weigh
- to think carefully about a choice
- vessel
- a ship or large boat
Level 4 - Advanced
The sinking of two cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz, reported by CNN on Thursday, underscores how thoroughly the Iran war has turned one of the world's most vital waterways into a combat zone. International Maritime Organization data shows the losses are only the second and third of their kind in the Middle East since hostilities erupted in February, which makes the pace of recent attacks all the more conspicuous as the United States heads toward the November 3 midterm elections.
Iranian state media attributed the sinkings to a sea mine, and the Revolutionary Guards said a vessel went down after striking one. Analysts remain unconvinced, contending that a drone strike fits the damage far better, and a maritime monitor that confirmed three strikes this week cautioned that ships remain exposed even when they go dark by disabling their transponders. An Iranian naval officer repeated Tehran's claim that the strait is closed.
The economic fallout is stark. One tracker puts seven day average transits at about 4 percent of pre-war volumes, and just 1 percent for tankers, while freight costs have climbed to record highs. Reuters reported that Washington is weighing relief for Iran's shadow fleet of tankers to ease those costs, a notable concession for an administration that has also lamented that peace has become harder because key Iranian leaders were eliminated. Whether easing sanctions would calm the strait or reward the attacks is the question now dividing officials.
- underscore
- to show that something is important
- conspicuous
- easy to notice
- attribute
- to say that something was caused by
- exposed
- not protected from danger
- transponder
- a device that sends a ship's location
- fallout
- the bad results of an event
- concession
- something given up to reach a deal
- lament
- to say you are sad about something
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