Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Iran sent missiles at a US base in Jordan. Soldiers stopped every missile before it hit anything.
President Trump talked to Fox News after the attack. He said the US will hit Iran hard.
The attack made people worried around the world. The price of oil went up very fast.
Oil is now near 90 dollars for one barrel. This is a big jump from before the attack.
- missile
- a weapon that flies through the air to hit a target far away
- base
- a place where soldiers live and work
- intercepted
- stopped something before it reached its target
- attack
- an action to hurt or damage someone or something
- president
- the leader of a country like the United States
- oil
- a liquid used to make fuel, taken from under the ground
- barrel
- a large round container, also a unit used to measure oil
- worried
- feeling afraid that something bad might happen
Level 2 — Elementary
President Trump told Fox News that the United States will hit Iran hard, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a surprise ballistic missile attack on a US military base in Jordan.
Jordan's military said it intercepted every missile launched at the base early Wednesday, and US officials reported no casualties from the strike.
Trump said American forces had only a few minutes to respond before shooting down the incoming missiles, calling the attack a dangerous escalation after days of relative calm.
The renewed violence sent Brent crude oil prices climbing toward 90 dollars a barrel, rattling financial markets just hours before a major US interest rate announcement.
- escalation
- a rapid increase in the seriousness or intensity of a conflict
- casualties
- people who are killed or injured, usually in a war or attack
- strike
- a sudden military attack
- officials
- people who hold positions of authority in government or an organization
- incoming
- moving toward the observer or a target, arriving
- rattling
- making someone or something nervous or unsettled
- financial
- relating to money and how it is managed
- renewed
- started again after a pause
Level 3 — Intermediate
President Trump vowed that the United States would hit Iran hard, telling Fox News that American forces would deliver a forceful response after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a surprise ballistic missile attack on a US military base in Jordan.
Jordan's military confirmed it intercepted every missile fired at the base early Wednesday, and US Central Command reported no American casualties, though the strike ended days of relative calm following an earlier pause in hostilities.
The attack came after more than thirty drone strikes attributed to the Guard Corps over the previous seventy-two hours, prompting joint US and Saudi fighter jets to conduct retaliatory strikes in Iraq against Iran-aligned militias.
The renewed hostilities pushed Brent crude oil toward 90 dollars a barrel, stoking inflation concerns and unsettling investors just hours before the Federal Reserve was set to announce its latest interest rate decision.
- vowed
- promised solemnly to do something
- forceful
- powerful and direct in action or expression
- hostilities
- acts of warfare or armed conflict
- attributed
- regarded as being caused by a particular person or group
- retaliatory
- done in response to an attack, as a form of payback
- militias
- armed groups, often not part of a country's official military
- stoking
- increasing or intensifying a feeling or situation
- unsettling
- causing worry or anxiety
Level 4 — Advanced
President Trump vowed a forceful response against Iran, telling Fox News the United States would hit Tehran hard after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a surprise ballistic missile barrage against a US military installation in Jordan.
Jordanian authorities confirmed the interception of every missile fired at the base in the early hours of Wednesday, and US Central Command reported no American casualties, even as the strike abruptly ended a fragile period of relative calm that had followed an earlier pause in hostilities.
The barrage followed more than thirty drone attacks attributed to the Guard Corps over the preceding seventy-two hours, prompting joint US-Saudi fighter jets to conduct retaliatory strikes against Iran-aligned militias operating within Iraq.
The resurgence of hostilities drove Brent crude toward 90 dollars a barrel, amplifying inflationary pressures and unsettling investors mere hours ahead of the Federal Reserve's pivotal interest rate announcement, a decision now further complicated by the geopolitical shock.
- barrage
- a large, concentrated volley of weapons fired at once
- installation
- a military base or facility
- interception
- the act of stopping something in transit before it reaches its destination
- fragile
- easily broken or disrupted; delicate
- resurgence
- a renewed occurrence of something after a period of decline or absence
- inflationary
- relating to a general rise in prices across an economy
- geopolitical
- relating to politics as influenced by geography and international relations
- pivotal
- of crucial importance to a situation's outcome
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