Rubio Says There Is No Need for Major U.S. Attacks on Iran

Why did he say that?

Rubio said U.S. economic pressure on Iran was working very effectively. He spoke on Tuesday at a G7 meeting in Paris.

So, the U.S. is using sanctions instead of increasing the fighting?

That is Rubio’s message. He said the economic pressure campaign meant there was no need to restart major combat operations.

What has President Trump said about the war?

On Monday, President Trump said the U.S. was keeping the status quo. He also warned that American forces were “locked and loaded.”

That suggests the forces are still ready to act.

Yes. In an interview shown on Sunday, Mr. Trump said he did not currently see a reason to escalate the war. He also defended the decision to begin the conflict, despite its economic impact.

There has also been an alleged attack linked to Iran. What do we know?

The U.S. Justice Department charged three men over an attempted attack in September at a U.K. airbase. The base has been used by the U.S. military during its operations against Iran.

Who are the men?

They are Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, Mohsen Mohajeri and Mohammad Ali al-Hassani. The Justice Department described them as Iranian operatives.

What are they accused of doing?

They face charges including supporting terrorism, planning to bomb a public place, and financing terrorism. Al-Saadi also faces charges over attempted terrorism across national borders and attempted damage using fire or explosives.

What has the FBI said about the case?

The FBI said the three men were allegedly involved in nearly 20 attempted attacks in Europe and the United States. The FBI said those alleged attacks supported Kata’ib Hizballah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

What happens next?

U.S. officials are continuing the legal case against the three men. At the same time, Rubio says economic pressure, rather than major new combat operations, is the current U.S. approach to Iran.

Thank you, Ella.

Our second story is about Hezbollah’s reaction to election results in the U.S. and Israel.

Owen is LinguaWire’s correspondent for society, and he has been covering this story.

Hello, Daniel. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said recent election results could be good for Lebanon.

Which results was he talking about?

Qassem welcomed Republican setbacks in U.S. midterm elections last week. He also pointed to the result for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political bloc.

What happened to Netanyahu’s bloc?

After the October 27 vote, the bloc fell short of the 61 seats it needed to stay in power. Qassem called the U.S. result an “earthquake” and the Israeli result a “defeat”.

Why does he think this could help Lebanon?

Qassem said the results were a sign that Lebanon should resist pressure from the Trump administration to disarm Hezbollah. Disarm means giving up weapons.

What did he say to people in Lebanon?

In a video speech, Qassem called on people to rebuild the country together. He said Lebanon belonged to all its people and they should protect its sovereignty, or its right to control its own affairs.

The question of Hezbollah’s weapons remains a major dispute.

It does. Iran-backed Hezbollah is in a standoff with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun over its weapons. The U.S. supports President Aoun and wants Hezbollah to give up its arms.

What is Hezbollah’s position?

Hezbollah says giving up its weapons would mean surrendering to Israel. Qassem said the group would not hand over its weapons while Israel occupied parts of southern Lebanon.

What has this conflict meant for people in Lebanon?

After Hezbollah fired missiles and drones into Israel, Israel carried out weeks of intense strikes on southern Lebanon. Lebanese authorities say more than 4,300 people were killed. The United Nations says around one million people were displaced.

So, what is likely to remain important now?

The dispute over Hezbollah’s weapons will remain central. Qassem has made clear that Hezbollah will not disarm while it says Israeli forces occupy parts of southern Lebanon.

Thank you, Owen.

Part one: vocabulary.

Disarm.

To disarm means to give up weapons; in the story, “Disarm means giving up weapons.”

They want the group to disarm.

Sovereignty.

Sovereignty is a country’s right to control its own affairs; in the story, “protect its sovereignty, or its right to control its own affairs.”

People want to protect their country’s sovereignty.

Standoff.

A standoff is a situation where two sides oppose each other; in the story, “Hezbollah is in a standoff with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun over its weapons.”

The two countries are in a standoff.

Part two: the grammar.

Object pronouns: “The Justice Department described them as Iranian operatives.”

Use an object pronoun after a verb to refer to the person or thing that receives the action. Here, “them” refers to the three men.

In the story, “The Justice Department described them as Iranian operatives.”

We saw them at the station.

Repeat after me: The Justice Department described them as Iranian operatives.