Level 1 — Absolute Beginner

The United States and Iran are in a difficult time. They had a small stop in the fighting. Now there is a lot of talk about what will happen next.

On May 19, 2026, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, said something important. He said he was going to attack Iran, but he stopped. Three other countries asked him to wait. The countries are Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Then Iran's army group, called the IRGC, made a strong answer. They said that if the U.S. attacks, they will fight back. They will not let it happen easily.

The world is watching very closely. People hope the two countries can talk and find peace.

United States

a large country in North America, sometimes called the U.S. or the USA

Iran

a country in the Middle East

president

the top leader of a country like the United States

attack

to act against someone with weapons or strong force

wait

to not do something for a time

army

a country's large group of soldiers

peace

a time when there is no war or fighting

watch

to look at something closely

Level 2 — Elementary

There was another important moment in the war between the United States and Iran on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. After Iran rejected a seven-day extension of the ceasefire earlier in the day, Iran's main armed force, called the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, made a strong public statement.

The IRGC said that any new attack from the United States would be 'resolutely thwarted.' This means Iran would stop the attack with full strength. The Speaker of Iran's parliament also said that the country's armed forces were ready to 'teach a lesson' to any aggressor.

Earlier the same day, President Donald Trump told reporters from the Oval Office that he had planned to attack Iran on Tuesday but postponed the order. He said three Gulf countries — Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — asked him to hold off so that diplomatic talks could continue.

Markets reacted to the messages with worry. Brent oil prices jumped briefly above 109 dollars a barrel before settling. Insurance for big oil ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz also became more expensive overnight. The world is watching to see if quiet diplomacy through Oman and Qatar can save the ceasefire.

ceasefire

an agreement between fighting groups to stop fighting for a time

extension

the act of making something last longer

armed forces

a country's army, navy and air force together

statement

an official remark or written message

thwart

to stop a plan from succeeding

aggressor

a person, group or country that attacks first

postpone

to delay something to a later time

diplomacy

the work of managing relationships between countries through talks, not war

Level 3 — Intermediate

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a separate statement on the evening of May 19, 2026 warning that any fresh kinetic strike from the United States would be 'resolutely thwarted,' deepening Tehran's pushback after the country's Supreme National Security Council rejected President Donald Trump's seven-day extension of the so-called Hormuz pause earlier the same day. Speaker of the Majles Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf separately told state television that the country's armed forces were 'ready to respond and to teach a lesson to any aggressor,' a phrase widely echoed by IRGC affiliated outlets including Tasnim and Fars.

The diplomatic backdrop sharpened in parallel. Hours before the IRGC statement, President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he had been within hours of authorising a Tomahawk land-attack cruise-missile salvo against IRGC Aerospace Force missile-storage sites in Kermanshah and Hamadan but had postponed the order at the explicit request of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Each of the three Gulf capitals has positioned itself as a back-channel mediator since the May 17 Iranian Shahed-class drone detonation against the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Al Dhafra and the May 18 ceasefire extension announcement.

Markets registered the verbal escalation tightly. ICE Brent for July delivery briefly traded above $109 per barrel in early Asian electronic dealing before retracing to $107.40 by London open as traders parsed both Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's hedged 'national interests' language and the IRGC's harder tone. Lloyd's of London war-risk additional premium for very-large-crude-carrier transits through the Strait of Hormuz reset overnight from 0.38% to 0.55% of hull value, the highest level since the May 8 strikes, with several Greek-, Saudi- and Indian-owned VLCC operators announcing routing reviews via the Cape of Good Hope.

Diplomatic activity continued through the evening Tehran time. Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi flew to Doha for what one Qatari official described as 'recovery talks,' and the Russian and Chinese permanent representatives at the UN Security Council requested an emergency Tuesday-evening closed-door session on the Hormuz file under Rule 48. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told the daily briefing that 'discussions through Omani and Qatari channels remain ongoing,' declining to characterise the IRGC statement as a formal repudiation of the ceasefire.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

a branch of Iran's armed forces created after the 1979 revolution, distinct from the regular Artesh army and responsible for ideological protection of the Islamic Republic

Majles

the Islamic Consultative Assembly, Iran's unicameral parliament with 290 elected members

IRGC Aerospace Force

the branch of the IRGC responsible for missile, drone and space launch operations

Level 4 — Advanced

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a separate, sharper statement on the evening of May 19, 2026 warning that any fresh kinetic strike from the United States would be 'resolutely thwarted,' deepening Tehran's pushback after the country's Supreme National Security Council had earlier the same day rejected President Donald Trump's seven-day extension of the so-called Hormuz pause as a 'unilateral declaration.' Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf separately told the IRIB News Channel that the armed forces were 'fully ready to respond and to teach a lesson to any aggressor,' a phrase echoed verbatim across IRGC-affiliated outlets Tasnim, Fars and Mehr within forty minutes of the original transmission.

The diplomatic backdrop sharpened in parallel through the afternoon Eastern Daylight Time. President Trump told reporters in an unscheduled Oval Office sprayer at 14:36 EDT that he had been within hours of authorising a layered Tomahawk land-attack cruise-missile salvo from USS Bulkeley (DDG-84), USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) and USS Carney (DDG-64) against IRGC Aerospace Force missile-storage sites in Kermanshah and Hamadan, but that he had postponed the order at the explicit request of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Each of the three Gulf capitals has positioned itself as a back-channel mediator since the May 17 Iranian Shahed-101-variant drone detonation against the outdoor switchyard transformer on the southwestern perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in Al Dhafra and the contested May 18 ceasefire-extension announcement.

Markets registered the verbal escalation with characteristic tight correlation to the social-media and wire-service timestamps. ICE Brent for July delivery briefly printed an intraday high of $109.40 in early-Asian electronic dealing before retracing to $107.40 by London open as traders parsed both Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's hedged 'national interests' language and the IRGC's harder follow-on tone. NYMEX WTI for June delivery similarly spiked to $104.95 before settling near $102.95. Lloyd's of London war-risk additional premium for very-large-crude-carrier transits through the Strait of Hormuz reset overnight from 0.38% to 0.55% of hull value — the highest level since the May 8 strikes — with Hellenic War Risks, North P&I and the West of England Club all confirming the higher rate by 09:30 BST, and several Greek- (Maran Tankers), Saudi- (Bahri) and Indian-owned (Reliance Industries-chartered) VLCC operators announcing routing reviews via the Cape of Good Hope.

Diplomatic activity intensified through the evening Tehran time. Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi flew to Doha for what one Qatari official described to Reuters on background as 'recovery talks,' and the Russian and Chinese permanent representatives at the UN Security Council jointly requested an emergency Tuesday-evening closed-door session on the Hormuz file under Provisional Rule 48; the British and French permanent representatives indicated they would attend without objection. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told the daily briefing at 17:00 EDT that 'discussions through Omani and Qatari channels remain ongoing' and declined to characterise the IRGC statement as a formal repudiation of the ceasefire. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC at 18:12 EDT that 'all tools are on the table,' wording widely interpreted as a forward indication of a possible Strategic Petroleum Reserve emergency-release authorisation should pump prices push past $4.50 per gallon.