Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
President Trump says the United States and Iran are talking.
But Iran says this is not true. Iran says there are no talks with the United States.
Trump got angry. He wrote that Iran's leaders are not honest.
Iran says it is only talking with another country, Oman, about ships in the sea.
- president
- the leader of a country like the United States
- talk
- to speak with someone to solve a problem
- deny
- to say that something is not true
- angry
- feeling strong displeasure
- honest
- telling the truth
- leader
- a person who guides a group or country
- ship
- a large boat that carries people or goods
- sea
- a large area of salt water
Level 2 — Elementary
President Trump said on Monday that talks between the United States and Iran are ongoing, but Iran's government quickly denied this.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said, "We currently do not have negotiations with America," and added that Iran has no plans to send negotiators anywhere soon.
Trump wrote an angry message online, calling Iran's leaders "unbelievably duplicitous," which means they say one thing but do another.
Iran explained that it is not negotiating with the United States, but it is in talks with Oman about a safe route for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
- ongoing
- continuing to happen; not yet finished
- government
- the group of people who officially run a country
- spokesman
- a person who speaks officially for a group
- negotiator
- a person who talks with others to reach an agreement
- duplicitous
- deceitful; saying one thing while doing another
- negotiate
- to discuss something in order to reach an agreement
- route
- a way or path taken to get somewhere
- strait
- a narrow body of water connecting two seas
Level 3 — Intermediate
President Trump insisted on Monday that negotiations between the United States and Iran remain underway, directly contradicting a public statement from Tehran that no such talks were planned.
Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, told reporters, "We currently do not have negotiations with America," adding that Iran had no intention of hosting foreign delegations or sending negotiators abroad in the coming days.
In a pointed social media post, Trump described Iranian leadership as "unbelievably duplicitous," claiming that Iranian officials had requested a meeting and that talks had already begun, only for Tehran to publicly deny any discussions were taking place.
Iran maintained that its only active diplomacy concerns Oman, with which it is negotiating a temporary safe route through the Strait of Hormuz, while Trump warned that tougher measures remained on the table if a deal was not reached.
- insist
- to demand or state something firmly, despite doubt or disagreement
- contradict
- to state the opposite of something, showing it is false
- underway
- in progress; already started
- delegation
- a group of people sent to represent others, especially in talks
- diplomacy
- the management of relations between countries through discussion
- pointed
- direct and clearly aimed at a particular target
- maintain
- to continue to state or assert something as true
- measure
- an official action taken to achieve a particular result
Level 4 — Advanced
President Trump reiterated on Monday that negotiations between Washington and Tehran remain actively underway, a claim that directly contradicted an unambiguous public denial issued hours earlier by Iran's own Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters, "We currently do not have negotiations with America," explicitly ruling out any imminent plans to host foreign delegations or dispatch negotiators abroad, a statement that left little room for diplomatic ambiguity.
In a scathing social media post, Trump branded Iranian leadership "unbelievably duplicitous," asserting that Iranian officials had solicited a meeting and that substantive talks had already commenced, only for Tehran to subsequently and publicly disavow any such engagement.
Iran insisted its sole active diplomatic channel involved Oman, with which it is negotiating a provisional safe passage arrangement through the Strait of Hormuz, even as Trump signaled that considerably more forceful measures remained available should a resolution fail to materialize.
- reiterate
- to say something again for emphasis or clarity
- unambiguous
- clear and not open to more than one interpretation
- imminent
- about to happen very soon
- scathing
- harshly critical
- solicit
- to ask for or request something formally
- commence
- to begin or start
- disavow
- to deny responsibility for or connection with something
- provisional
- arranged temporarily, subject to later change
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