Iran Rejects U.S. Response to Peace Plan After Tanker Hit by Two Projectiles

What does Iran say it wants before that can happen?

Iran wants fighting to stop on all fronts in the Middle East. The Iranian figure linked that demand to reopening the strait, so the disagreement is not only about events at sea.

That sounds like a very wide condition for any agreement.

It is. President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran could still happen, and said Tehran wanted a settlement as soon as possible. Iran's latest response shows that there is still a serious difference between the two sides.

What has been happening in the area while diplomacy continues?

U.S. forces carried out strikes near the strait on Monday, according to several U.S. officials. The strikes came after what appeared to be an Iranian attack targeting a U.S. aircraft.

And ships in the region are still facing danger as well.

Yes. On Tuesday, two unknown projectiles struck a tanker near the northeast coast of Oman. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said the projectiles hit the ship's engine room.

Do investigators know who was operating the tanker or who fired the projectiles?

No. It is not known who was operating the tanker, where it had come from, or where it was going. The agency said there were no reported injuries or environmental effects. Another vessel was hit by an unknown projectile near the same place on Sunday.

What are ships being told to do now?

The U.K. agency has advised vessels to travel with caution and report suspicious activity while authorities investigate. Egypt is also calling for diplomacy. Its foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, asked Iran to show flexibility in negotiations and to avoid a wider military escalation.

Thank you, Jack.

Early Senate election results are putting the Republican majority under pressure in the United States.

Ella is LinguaWire's correspondent for politics, and she has been covering the races that could decide control of the Senate.

Hello, Daniel. Republicans began election day with a 53-to-47 majority in the Senate. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control, and several races are still close.

What is the first projected gain for Democrats?

The election desk projects that Roy Cooper, the former Democratic governor of North Carolina, has won the state's Senate race. He is projected to have beaten Michael Whatley, the former chair of the Republican National Committee. That would be the Democrats' first gain of the night.

Which other Democratic candidates are projected to have won?

In Georgia, the election desk projects that Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff has won re-election against Republican Representative Mike Collins. In New Hampshire, it projects that Democratic Representative Chris Pappas has beaten former Republican Senator John Sununu. Pappas would succeed retiring Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

So Democrats are projected to gain one seat and keep two others. Where are the other important contests?

In Ohio, the election desk says the race is leaning towards Sherrod Brown, a Democrat and former senator. He is running against Republican Senator Jon Husted. There are also closer-than-expected races in Alaska, Kansas, South Carolina and Texas.

What about the race in Florida?

With nearly three-quarters of the expected vote counted, Republican Senator Ashley Moody is in a tight race with Angie Nixon, a state representative and democratic socialist. The election desk says that contest is still too close to call.

Why are races in states such as Ohio and Texas especially important?

For Democrats to take the Senate, they would need to win at least two states that President Trump won by double-digit margins in 2024. Possible targets include Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Alaska, Kansas and South Carolina. Early exit poll results show that more than half of voters in each of those states disapprove of Trump's job performance.

This campaign has also involved a huge amount of money.

More than 3.4 billion dollars has been spent on television and digital advertising in Senate races, according to the tracking company AdImpact. As more results arrive, the key question is whether Democrats can make enough gains to win control of the Senate.

Thank you, Ella.

Part one: useful words for maritime safety.

Projectile.

A projectile is an object that is fired or thrown through the air; in the story, “two unknown projectiles struck a tanker.”

The police found a projectile near the building.

Tanker.

A tanker is a large ship that carries liquid cargo; in the story, “two unknown projectiles struck a tanker.”

The tanker carried oil across the sea.

Vessel.

A vessel is a ship or boat; in the story, “The U.K. agency has advised vessels to travel with caution.”

Small vessels returned to the harbour before dark.

Part two: the grammar.

Conditional with would: “For Democrats to take the Senate, they would need to win at least two states that President Trump won by double-digit margins in 2024.”

We use would plus a verb to talk about what is needed or what could happen in a possible situation.

In the story, “For Democrats to take the Senate, they would need to win at least two states that President Trump won by double-digit margins in 2024.”

If we wanted to catch the early train, we would need to leave now.

Repeat after me: For Democrats to take the Senate, they would need to win at least two states that President Trump won by double-digit margins in 2024.