Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Iran says it is ready for a very big war with the United States. The words come from Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of Iran.
Iran made a plan last week. In the plan, Iran opens the Strait of Hormuz again. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea road for oil ships. In return, Iran wants money and fewer sanctions.
President Trump said no to the plan. He said Iran asks for too much. But he also said he expects more talks this week.
A leader of the Iranian navy said Iran could hit American ships in the Indian Ocean if the fighting starts again. Oil prices went up on Monday.
- foreign minister
- The government leader who talks to other countries.
- strait
- A narrow area of sea between two pieces of land.
- plan
- A list of steps to reach a goal.
- sanctions
- Rules that stop a country from trading or getting money.
- talks
- Meetings where people try to make an agreement.
- navy
- The part of an army that uses ships.
- oil
- A thick liquid used to make fuel.
- ready
- Prepared to do something.
Level 2 — Elementary
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said his country is prepared for what he called a doomsday war if the United States starts fighting again. He also said Iran is ready for diplomacy.
Last week Tehran offered a seven day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries much of the world's oil. In exchange, Iran asked the United States to unfreeze Iranian money, lift economic sanctions and stop attacks for good.
President Donald Trump rejected the offer. He said it would give Iran billions of dollars too quickly. Even so, he told reporters he expects more talks with Iran this week.
On Saturday, Ali Mohammadi, a senior officer in the Revolutionary Guard navy, warned that Iran would attack American warships even in the Indian Ocean if heavy fighting returns. On Monday, oil prices rose and stocks fell on fears of a longer conflict.
- doomsday
- Relating to the end of the world, used to describe a terrible war.
- diplomacy
- Talking and negotiating to solve problems between countries.
- waterway
- A river, canal or sea passage that ships use.
- unfreeze
- To let a country use money that was blocked.
- offer
- Something you suggest giving or doing.
- reject
- To say no to something.
- warship
- A ship built for fighting.
- conflict
- A serious fight or disagreement.
Level 3 — Intermediate
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, declared that Tehran stands ready to resume the war with the United States and will hold firm even if it escalates into what he termed a doomsday war. In the same breath he stressed that Iran remains open to diplomacy.
His remarks followed President Donald Trump's rejection of a structured seven day proposal. Under it, Iran would have reopened the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for a large share of global oil shipments, in return for the release of frozen financial assets, the lifting of sanctions and a permanent end to hostilities. Mr. Trump characterised the terms as an unacceptable demand that would hand Tehran immediate access to billions of dollars.
Despite the rebuff, the president said he expects further talks this week and continues to claim that Iran wants a deal. Tehran says it is still waiting for a formal American reply.
The rhetoric sharpened on Saturday when Ali Mohammadi, deputy political commander of the Revolutionary Guard navy, said his forces would strike American vessels as far away as the Indian Ocean if heavy fighting resumed. Investors reacted nervously: crude climbed while the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all fell on Monday.
- escalate
- To become more serious or intense.
- chokepoint
- A narrow passage where traffic can easily be blocked.
- frozen assets
- Money or property a government has blocked from use.
- hostilities
- Acts of fighting between enemies.
- rebuff
- A blunt refusal of an offer.
- rhetoric
- Language meant to persuade or pressure.
- deputy
- A person ranked just below a leader.
- vessel
- A ship or large boat.
Level 4 — Advanced
Iran's top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, has put Washington on notice that Tehran is fully prepared for hostilities to resume and will not flinch even if the confrontation degenerates into what he called a doomsday war, while insisting in the same statement that the door to diplomacy remains ajar. The dual message captures the brinkmanship that has defined the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
It arrived after President Donald Trump publicly spurned a seven day blueprint under which Iran would have reopened the vital shipping lane in exchange for the unfreezing of its financial assets, the lifting of economic sanctions and a durable cessation of hostilities. The president dismissed the package as an unacceptable demand that would confer immediate access to billions of dollars in relief, yet he also asserted that he anticipates further negotiations this week and that Tehran is eager to strike a bargain. Iran says it is still awaiting a formal American response.
Military voices have amplified the pressure. Ali Mohammadi, deputy political commander of the Revolutionary Guard navy, cautioned on Saturday that Iranian forces would target American destroyers and other vessels even in the Indian Ocean, well beyond the waters immediately around the strait, should heavy combat return.
Financial markets, already skittish over surging Treasury yields, registered the tension. Crude climbed on Monday while the Dow slid roughly 0.7 percent, the S&P 500 about 0.8 percent and the Nasdaq more than 0.9 percent, a reminder that a diplomatic impasse over one narrow waterway reverberates through portfolios worldwide.
- flinch
- To draw back from fear.
- ajar
- Slightly open.
- brinkmanship
- Pushing a dangerous situation to the edge to gain an advantage.
- spurn
- To reject with contempt.
- cessation
- A stopping of something.
- amplify
- To make stronger or louder.
- impasse
- A situation in which no progress is possible.
- reverberate
- To have effects that spread widely.
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