Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
The United States and Iran are at war. This week the American president spoke about it.
President Trump said the war will end very soon. He said it will probably end right after the midterm elections in November.
Last Friday, top American leaders met in secret at Camp David. Vice President JD Vance led the meeting. It lasted for hours.
Iran says it will not talk to the United States now. Many people want the war to end, because gas is expensive.
- war
- A fight between countries with weapons.
- president
- The leader of a country.
- election
- A day when people vote.
- secret
- Something other people do not know.
- meeting
- A time when people come together to talk.
- leader
- A person who guides others.
- expensive
- Costing a lot of money.
- end
- To stop.
Level 2 — Elementary
President Trump said on Tuesday that the war with Iran is going to end very soon, probably right after the midterm elections in November. He added that prices at the gas station will come down when it does.
Only days before, on Friday, top national security leaders met at Camp David without telling the public. Vice President JD Vance led the meeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA chief John Ratcliffe and General Dan Caine also took part.
They talked about the war with Iran and about a second fight in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is planning an attack on the Houthi group, which is friendly with Iran. One American official said that things were decided, or at least deeply discussed.
Vance said Iran must greatly reduce its ability to enrich uranium before the war can end. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said there is no point in talking with Washington.
- midterms
- Elections held in the middle of a president's term.
- national security
- The safety of a country.
- envoy
- A person sent to speak for a government.
- enrich
- To make uranium stronger for use in power or weapons.
- planning
- Getting ready to do something.
- official
- A person with a government job.
- decided
- Chose after thinking.
- reduce
- To make smaller.
Level 3 — Intermediate
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the war with Iran "is going to end very soon, probably right after the midterms," and he repeated that fuel prices will ease once the fighting stops. He has also said Washington must finish the job, either "the nice way or the not-so-nice way."
The comments followed an unannounced strategy session at Camp David on Friday, which Axios first reported. Vice President JD Vance chaired the hours-long meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, special envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine. The last comparable gathering was in June 2025, days before Israel struck Iran.
Two decisions are on the table. Negotiations with Tehran have stalled, and Mr. Trump is weighing whether to resume major combat operations. He is also under pressure to support a planned Saudi offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. One American official said that "things were decided or at least deeply discussed."
Mr. Vance has said any deal requires Iran to meaningfully cut its uranium enrichment capacity, although he admitted that Washington is unsure how Tehran makes decisions. President Masoud Pezeshkian has ruled out talks, so the timeline Mr. Trump describes depends on a diplomatic breakthrough that is not yet visible.
- strategy session
- A meeting to plan future actions.
- unannounced
- Not told to the public in advance.
- chaired
- Led a meeting.
- comparable
- Similar enough to be compared.
- stalled
- Stopped making progress.
- combat
- Fighting in war.
- offensive
- A large military attack.
- breakthrough
- A sudden important step forward.
Level 4 — Advanced
President Donald Trump offered an optimistic timetable for the Iran war on Tuesday, predicting it would end "very soon, probably right after the midterms" and promising that consumer prices would "come tumbling down." The forecast arrived against a backdrop of stalled diplomacy, a growing American military presence in the region and a rebuff from Tehran.
Days earlier, the administration's national security principals convened unannounced at Camp David. Vice President JD Vance presided over a session that included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA director John Ratcliffe and General Dan Caine, according to Axios. The previous such gathering, in June 2025, preceded Israel's strikes on Iran by days, a precedent that has not gone unnoticed in capitals across the region.
The agenda was twofold: whether to resume major combat operations against Iran, and how to respond to calls to join a planned Saudi offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis. A senior official told Axios that "things were decided or at least deeply discussed," which leaves open whether a course has been set.
Mr. Vance, for his part, has said any settlement requires Tehran to meaningfully curb its enrichment capacity, while conceding that Washington is uncertain who holds authority in Iran. With President Masoud Pezeshkian ruling out talks, the gap between the White House's confident timeline and the diplomatic reality is wide. Markets and motorists, who are paying for the conflict at the pump, will be watching which of the two prevails.
- optimistic
- Expecting good outcomes.
- timetable
- A schedule of when things will happen.
- rebuff
- A blunt rejection.
- principals
- The most senior people involved in a decision.
- convened
- Came together for a meeting.
- precedent
- An earlier event used as a guide.
- curb
- To limit or restrain.
- conceding
- Admitting something, often reluctantly.
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