Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
The United States and Iran are fighting again. American planes attacked a small island in the Persian Gulf on July 15.
The island is called Greater Tunb. American forces hit missile storage buildings there.
President Trump told Congress that the fighting started again on July 7. He sent Congress an official letter about it.
Iran says the attacks hurt many people. Iran's leaders say they will not talk about peace right now.
- attack
- To use force against someone or something
- island
- Land with water all around it
- missile
- A weapon that flies to hit a target
- Congress
- The group of lawmakers in the United States government
- official
- Approved by the government
- fighting
- Violent action between groups
- forces
- Groups of soldiers, ships, or planes
- peace
- A time without war or fighting
Level 2 — Elementary
The war between the United States and Iran has flared up again. On July 15, American forces struck Greater Tunb, a small island near the Strait of Hormuz.
The attack lasted about 90 minutes and targeted missile storage and launch sites on the island, which sits close to a busy shipping route.
President Trump had already notified Congress in a letter dated July 10 that military action against Iran had restarted on July 7, after Iran attacked three oil tankers.
Iranian officials say the recent strikes have killed more than 30 civilians. Iran's Foreign Ministry says the country has no plans to negotiate and will keep responding firmly.
- flare up
- To suddenly become more intense or violent
- strike (verb)
- To attack a target with force
- Strait of Hormuz
- A narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman
- notify
- To formally tell someone about something
- tanker
- A large ship that carries oil or other liquids
- civilian
- A person who is not a member of the military
- negotiate
- To talk with someone to reach an agreement
- shipping route
- A path that ships regularly travel
Level 3 — Intermediate
Military action between the United States and Iran has intensified once again after American forces carried out a 90 minute strike on July 15 against Greater Tunb, a small island in the Persian Gulf near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The operation targeted missile storage and launch sites that officials say pose a threat to commercial vessels transiting the narrow waterway, through which a large share of the world's oil supply passes.
President Trump had formally notified Congress of the resumption of hostilities in a letter dated July 10, explaining that military action had commenced on July 7 in response to Iranian attacks on three oil tankers, a move Washington says violated the terms of an earlier ceasefire.
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said more than 30 civilians have been killed in the recent wave of strikes, while Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated that Iran has no plans for negotiations and intends to keep responding firmly.
- intensify
- To become or make more severe
- strategically vital
- Extremely important for military or political advantage
- commercial vessel
- A ship used for business or trade
- transit (verb)
- To pass through or across a place
- resumption
- The act of starting something again after a pause
- hostilities
- Acts of warfare
- ceasefire
- An agreement to stop fighting
- spokesperson
- Someone who speaks officially on behalf of a group
Level 4 — Advanced
The fragile detente between the United States and Iran has unraveled further, as American forces conducted a 90 minute operation on July 15 against Greater Tunb, a small Persian Gulf island whose proximity to the Strait of Hormuz gives it outsized strategic significance.
The strike, which targeted missile storage and launch infrastructure, was framed by the Pentagon as necessary to blunt Iran's capacity to threaten commercial shipping transiting the strait, a chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil consumption flows.
In a letter to Congress dated July 10, President Trump formally invoked his authority under the War Powers framework, disclosing that hostilities had resumed on July 7 in retaliation for Iranian attacks on three oil tankers, which the administration characterized as a breach of a prior ceasefire arrangement governing safe transit through the strait.
Iranian officials have pushed back forcefully: government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani put the civilian death toll from the renewed strikes at more than 30, while Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei ruled out negotiations, vowing that Tehran would continue to respond firmly to what it characterizes as unprovoked aggression.
- detente
- A relaxing or easing of tension between hostile parties
- unravel
- To gradually break down or come apart
- outsized
- Larger or greater than usual
- infrastructure
- The physical structures and facilities needed for an operation
- chokepoint
- A narrow strategic passage that can be blocked or controlled
- invoke (authority)
- To formally cite or call upon a power or rule
- breach
- A violation or failure to observe a law or agreement
- unprovoked
- Not caused by any preceding action
Talk about this article with KatePractice this story's vocabulary in a real spoken conversation with your AI tutor