Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Iran sent missiles and drones at three countries: Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain. This happened at night.
In Kuwait, the missiles hit power plants and water plants. Fires started at some buildings. Workers turned off machines to keep people safe.
In Jordan, soldiers shot down missiles before they could hit the ground. Bahrain also stopped some attacks.
At the same time, some countries are trying to stop the fighting. They asked Iran to agree to stop for 10 days. The United States is still bombing Iran every night.
- missile
- a weapon that flies through the air to hit a target far away
- drone
- a small flying machine with no pilot inside it
- attack
- an action meant to hurt or damage someone or something
- power plant
- a building that makes electricity
- fire
- hot flames that burn and can destroy things
- soldier
- a person who is trained to fight in an army
- mediator
- a person or group that helps two sides stop fighting
- ceasefire
- an agreement to stop fighting for a period of time
Level 2 — Elementary
Iran launched missile and drone attacks against Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain overnight, widening a war that began earlier this year between Iran and the United States.
Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said several power plants and water desalination plants were hit, and fires broke out at more than one site. Some electricity units were shut down to protect the wider power grid.
Jordan's military said it shot down three of four missiles fired at the country. Bahrain also said it stopped Iranian missile and drone attacks before they could cause damage.
While the attacks were happening, mediators from Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Pakistan gave Iran a plan for a 10-day ceasefire. The goal is to save an interim deal reached last month and find a way to reopen safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The United States, meanwhile, carried out its eleventh straight night of strikes on Iran.
- launch
- to send something, like a missile, into the air toward a target
- desalination
- the process of removing salt from seawater to make it drinkable
- grid
- the connected system that carries electricity to homes and buildings
- military
- the armed forces of a country, such as its army, navy and air force
- widen
- to make something larger or affect more people or places
- interim deal
- a temporary agreement meant to hold until a more permanent one is reached
- strait
- a narrow strip of water connecting two larger seas
- strike
- a military attack, often carried out with bombs or missiles
Level 3 — Intermediate
Iran launched a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks against Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain overnight, extending a regional war that has drawn in three of the Gulf's smaller states even as the core conflict remains centered on Iran and the United States.
Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said several power generation and water desalination plants were struck, triggering fires at multiple facilities and forcing operators to take electricity generating units offline to protect the stability of the national grid. Jordan's military said it intercepted three of four incoming missiles, while Bahrain reported thwarting a separate combination of missile and drone attacks before they reached their targets.
The escalation unfolded alongside a parallel diplomatic track. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators from Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Pakistan had presented Tehran with a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire, intended to revive the interim memorandum of understanding reached with Washington last month and to negotiate a so called middle corridor through the Strait of Hormuz where commercial vessels could transit safely.
Washington has so far pushed back, with officials indicating they want a longer truce and firmer guarantees on freedom of navigation before any pause takes effect, even as the United States carried out its eleventh consecutive night of strikes against Iranian targets.
- escalation
- a rapid increase in the seriousness or scale of a conflict
- intercept
- to stop or catch something, such as a missile, before it reaches its target
- thwart
- to prevent someone from succeeding in a plan or action
- diplomatic
- relating to managing relations between countries, often through negotiation
- memorandum of understanding
- a formal but often non-binding agreement between two or more parties
- corridor
- a narrow passage or route that allows movement between two places
- transit
- to travel or pass through a place on the way to another destination
- truce
- an agreement between opposing sides to stop fighting for a period
Level 4 — Advanced
Iran launched a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks against Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain overnight, extending a regional war that has increasingly ensnared three of the Gulf's smaller states even as the underlying conflict remains centered on Tehran and Washington.
Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy reported that several power generation and desalination facilities were struck, igniting fires at multiple sites and compelling operators to take generating units offline to safeguard the stability of the national grid. Jordan's military said it intercepted three of four incoming missiles, while Bahrain reported thwarting a separate combination of missile and drone attacks before they reached their intended targets.
The military escalation unfolded alongside a parallel and largely clandestine diplomatic track. A senior Iranian official disclosed to Reuters that mediators representing Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Pakistan had presented Tehran with a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire, intended to resuscitate the interim memorandum of understanding reached with Washington last month and to negotiate a so called middle corridor through the Strait of Hormuz along which commercial vessels could transit under mutually guaranteed safety.
Washington has thus far resisted the overture, with officials signaling a preference for a considerably longer truce accompanied by firmer, verifiable guarantees on freedom of navigation before any pause takes effect, even as the United States pressed ahead with its eleventh consecutive night of strikes against Iranian targets, underscoring the gulf between the urgency of the diplomatic proposal and the pace of the underlying hostilities.
- ensnare
- to trap or involve someone or something in a difficult situation
- clandestine
- conducted secretly, often because it is illicit or sensitive
- resuscitate
- to revive something that has failed or is close to ending
- overture
- an initial approach or proposal made to open discussion or negotiation
- verifiable
- able to be checked or confirmed as true
- compel
- to force or strongly pressure someone to do something
- underscore
- to emphasize or draw attention to something
- hostilities
- acts of warfare; armed conflict between opposing sides
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