Level 1 - Absolute Beginner
The United States and Iran are close to war again. President Trump spoke on Saturday in Florida.
A reporter asked if the US will hit Iran. He said, "Maybe tomorrow." He also said a deal is possible.
Iran says it will not change its position. Oil is very expensive because of the fear.
- president
- The leader of a country.
- strike
- An attack from the air.
- deal
- An agreement between two sides.
- oil
- A thick liquid used to make fuel.
- war
- A fight between countries.
- reporter
- A person who asks questions for the news.
- position
- What a country says it wants.
- expensive
- Costing a lot of money.
Level 2 - Elementary
On Saturday, President Donald Trump spoke to reporters in Florida after he voted in the midterm elections. He was asked if the United States will hit Iran again. He answered, "Maybe tomorrow. There's a possibility I will."
In the same answer, he said there is also a chance of "a nice, big, beautiful agreement." So the world does not know if the next step will be a strike or a deal.
Iran answered with strong words. On Saturday, it said American ships will never be allowed in the Persian Gulf "under any circumstances." On Sunday, its foreign minister said a new war would not change what Iran wants.
- midterm elections
- Votes held in the middle of a president's term.
- possibility
- A chance that something may happen.
- agreement
- A deal that both sides accept.
- circumstances
- The conditions of a situation.
- foreign minister
- The official who speaks for a country to other countries.
- blockade
- When ships are stopped from entering or leaving a place.
- mediator
- A person or country that helps two sides talk.
- warn
- To tell someone about a danger.
Level 3 - Intermediate
President Trump kept the world guessing on Saturday. Speaking to reporters in Florida after casting his midterm ballot, he said a new strike on Iran could come "maybe tomorrow," adding, "there's a possibility I will." Within the same breath he left the door open to "a nice, big, beautiful agreement." The United States ambassador to Turkey had earlier warned that Iran could be struck as soon as this weekend.
Tehran did not soften. On Saturday it said American ships would never be allowed into the Persian Gulf "under any circumstances," and on Sunday its foreign minister argued that a resumed war would not change Iran's positions. Iran also says it told Pakistani mediators it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington lifted its naval blockade, and accuses Trump of rejecting that. The Revolutionary Guard-linked Tasnim agency reported that Iran rejected a separate reported offer on the strait.
Markets are reading every sentence. Brent crude jumped about four percent on Thursday to roughly 113 dollars a barrel after the Guard said it had attacked vessels near the strait. Reports conflict on timing: one account from earlier this month said no attack was planned before the midterms, while The Atlantic suggested a wider operation might come after the November 3 vote.
- ballot
- The paper or screen used to cast a vote.
- soften
- To become less strict or harsh.
- resumed
- Started again after a stop.
- naval blockade
- A blockade carried out by warships.
- mediator
- A neutral party who helps two sides negotiate.
- crude
- Oil in its raw form, before refining.
- vessel
- A ship or large boat.
- conflict
- To disagree or not match, as reports do.
Level 4 - Advanced
Washington's rhetoric toward Tehran swung between menace and inducement on Saturday. Speaking in Florida after casting his midterm ballot, President Trump said a fresh strike could come "maybe tomorrow," conceding "there's a possibility I will," yet in the same exchange held out the prospect of "a nice, big, beautiful agreement." The United States ambassador to Turkey had already cautioned that Iran might be hit as early as this weekend, so the ambiguity looks deliberate rather than accidental.
Iran's reply has been categorical. Tehran declared on Saturday that American vessels would never be admitted to the Persian Gulf "under any circumstances," and on Sunday its foreign minister insisted that a renewed war would leave the country's positions untouched. Iran's ambassador says Tehran signalled through Pakistan that it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington lifted its naval blockade, a proposal he says Mr Trump spurned, while Tasnim, an outlet tied to the Revolutionary Guard, reported that Iran had rejected a reported offer to swap the strait's reopening for an end to the blockade and had made no new proposal to the Pakistani mediators.
The commercial stakes explain the nervousness. Brent crude surged roughly four percent on Thursday to about 113 dollars a barrel after the Guard claimed attacks on vessels near the waterway, and traders now price in the chance of a weekend escalation. Accounts of Washington's timetable are inconsistent: a report from about two weeks ago quoted a pledge to refrain from attacks before the midterms, whereas The Atlantic has reported that a broader operation could follow the November 3 vote. Until one of those threads resolves, oil will keep trading on the next sentence uttered in Florida or Tehran.
- rhetoric
- Language designed to persuade or pressure.
- menace
- A threat of harm.
- inducement
- Something offered to persuade someone to act.
- ambiguity
- Deliberate or accidental lack of clarity.
- categorical
- Stated absolutely, without exceptions.
- spurn
- To reject with disdain.
- escalation
- A step up in the intensity of a conflict.
- inconsistent
- Not matching or not agreeing with itself.
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