Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
The United States and Iran are fighting again. President Trump says the ceasefire, a promise to stop fighting, is now over.
First, Iran attacked ships near the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea passage. The United States answered with a big attack on more than 80 places inside Iran.
Then Iran fired at two US military bases. One base is in Bahrain. The other base is in Kuwait. No one has said how many people were hurt.
Oil prices went up fast after the attacks. People are worried the fighting will get bigger.
- ceasefire
- an agreement to stop fighting for a time
- military
- relating to soldiers, ships, or an army
- base (military)
- a place where soldiers and military equipment are kept
- strike (attack)
- a sudden military attack
- oil
- a valuable liquid used to make fuel and energy
- tanker
- a large ship that carries oil or other liquid
- president
- the leader of a country such as the United States
- target
- a place or thing that is attacked
Level 2 — Elementary
President Trump said that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was now over, after a sharp exchange of attacks raised fears of a wider war in the Gulf region.
The trouble began when Iran's forces attacked commercial ships, including tankers, near the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow and important waterway for oil shipping. The United States responded with a large strike on more than 80 targets inside Iran, hitting air defenses, radar systems, and small military boats.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard then fired at American military installations in two Gulf countries, Bahrain and Kuwait. Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, while Kuwait is home to American army forces. Both countries sounded missile alerts.
Speaking at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump said he believed the ceasefire was finished, though he added that American negotiators would still be allowed to keep talking with Iran. Oil prices jumped more than five percent, and stock markets fell as investors worried about the conflict spreading further.
- commercial ship
- a ship used for business or trade rather than the military
- waterway
- a river, canal, or sea route that ships can travel through
- air defense
- weapons and systems used to protect against attacks from the sky
- installation (military)
- a building or site used for military purposes
- headquarters
- the main office or center of an organization
- summit
- an important meeting between leaders of different countries
- negotiator
- a person who talks with another side to try to reach an agreement
- investor
- a person or company that puts money into something hoping to gain more
Level 3 — Intermediate
President Trump declared that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was effectively over, after an exchange of strikes pushed the fragile truce to the brink of collapse and reignited fears of a broader regional war.
The latest escalation began when Iranian forces struck several commercial tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which a significant share of the world's oil passes. In response, US Central Command carried out a large-scale strike on more than 80 targets inside Iran, including air-defense systems, radar installations, and dozens of small vessels operated by the Revolutionary Guard.
Iran retaliated by firing on American military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, prompting both countries to issue missile alerts. Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, while Kuwait serves as a major staging ground for American army forces in the region. Iranian state media claimed its forces had targeted dozens of military sites in the two countries.
Speaking at a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said, 'For me, I think it's over,' dismissing further engagement with Tehran in blunt terms, though he stopped short of ordering a full halt to diplomatic contact. Brent crude jumped more than five percent to above $78 a barrel, while US stock indexes slid as investors weighed the risk of a wider conflict disrupting global energy supplies.
- fragile
- easily broken or damaged; not stable
- escalation
- a serious increase in the intensity or scale of a conflict
- chokepoint
- a narrow passage that controls or restricts the movement of ships or traffic
- retaliate
- to attack someone in return for an attack on oneself
- staging ground
- a location used to prepare and organize military forces before action
- state media
- news organizations controlled or run by a government
- diplomatic
- relating to managing relationships between countries through discussion
- index (stock)
- a measurement that tracks the combined value of a group of stocks
Level 4 — Advanced
President Trump declared the ceasefire between the United States and Iran effectively defunct on Wednesday, following a rapid exchange of strikes that pushed the already fragile truce past the point of collapse and revived anxieties over a broader conflagration across the Gulf.
The renewed escalation originated with an Iranian assault on several commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow chokepoint through which a substantial share of the world's seaborne oil trade passes. US Central Command answered with a sweeping strike on more than 80 targets inside Iranian territory, degrading air-defense batteries, radar infrastructure, and dozens of small vessels operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Tehran responded by firing on American military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, triggering missile alerts in both Gulf states. Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, and Kuwait functions as a principal staging ground for American land forces in the region; Iranian state media claimed its forces had struck dozens of sites across the two countries in a single coordinated barrage.
Addressing reporters at a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump characterized further engagement with Tehran in unusually blunt terms while stopping short of foreclosing all diplomatic contact, leaving American negotiators room to continue talks. Brent crude surged more than five percent past $78 a barrel and major US equity indexes retreated as investors recalibrated the probability of a sustained disruption to global energy markets.
- defunct
- no longer in effect or existence; no longer functioning
- conflagration
- a large and destructive conflict or fire
- transiting
- passing through a place on the way to another destination
- degrade (military)
- to reduce the effectiveness or strength of a military capability
- barrage
- a large number of things, especially attacks, happening at once
- foreclose
- to prevent or rule out a future possibility
- recalibrate
- to adjust one's assessment or expectations based on new information
- equity index
- a statistical measure representing the performance of a group of stocks
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