Shadowing Practice: Donald Trump says Xi Jinping wants Strait of Hormuz opened | BBC News - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello, I'm Lauren Taylor.
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Hello, I'm Lauren Taylor.
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This is the Iran War Today,
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our daily briefing,
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bringing you up to date with all you need to know on day 77 of the US-Israel war with Iran.
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Let's start with some of today's key developments.
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Donald Trump says he doesn't need China's help to bring Iran to the negotiating table,
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but expects Xi Jinping will try to help open the Strait of Hormuz.
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Iran's foreign minister says he would welcome Beijing's involvement in resolving the conflict,
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but that there's still no progress on starting negotiations.
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The most important issue right now is the question of trust.
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We cannot trust Americans at all.
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The United Arab Emirates has announced it is fast-tracking construction of a new oil pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
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The West-East pipeline will double state oil giant Adnok's capacity and is expected to become operational next year.
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Fighting continues in southern Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah,
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despite talks in Washington to extend the current ceasefire,
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which is due to end on Sunday.
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For weeks we've been waiting for the US and Iran to return to the negotiating table.
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Neither side has been willing to compromise.
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But could China move the needle?
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on Air Force One en route back to the U.S.,
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Donald Trump said his meetings with Xi Jinping went very well
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and that the Chinese president wants to see the Strait of Hormuz opened.
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On Iran, it's very interesting.
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He feels strongly they can't have a nuclear weapon.
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He said that very strongly.
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They cannot have a nuclear weapon and he wants them to open up the Strait.
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But as As he said,
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they closed it and then you'd close them with a smile.
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And it's true.
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We control the strength.
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I'm not asking for any favours,
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because when you ask for favours,
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you have to do favours in return.
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We don't need favours.
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Is he instinct that he will put pressure and that he will try and get them to the wall?
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He needs to put pressure because I don't need favours.
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I think he will.
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I think automatically he'd like to see it opened up.
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My colleague Steve Lai is in Beijing covering the meetings and has more on the outcome of the talks.
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Donald Trump came to Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping against the backdrop of a war that has reshaped the global agenda.
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Just over a week ago,
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Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Arugchi sat down in this same city with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
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China publicly called for a comprehensive ceasefire and for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Analysts read the timing eight days before Trump arrived as Beijing setting out its position before the American president landed.
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Now that set the stage for everything that followed at this summit.
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China buys roughly 90% of Iran's oil exports,
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making it the single power with real leverage over Tehran.
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Trump has said publicly he doesn't need Chinese help to end this war.
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Analysts in Washington and Beijing aren't so sure.
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Trump and Xi spoke of stability,
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of the need for safe passage through Hormuz.
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but the language was carefully measured and we've seen little concrete emerge from the talks themselves.
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No joint commitment on the timetable,
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no specific announcement on Iran.
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Much of what was discussed in private may take time to surface,
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if it surfaces at all.
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With American gas prices weighing on Donald Trump's approval ratings at home,
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and a fragile ceasefire cracking only days ago in the strait,
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the question of whether this trip moved the needle on Iran is one we may not be able to answer for weeks.
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The minister has spent the last few days in India for the BRICS summit.
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In a news conference in Delhi,
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he was asked if Tehran would welcome Chinese involvement.
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We appreciate any country who has the ability to help, particularly China.
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China has been helpful in the past in the resumption of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
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We have very good relations with China.
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They are – we are strategic partners to each other,
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and we know that Chinese have a good intention.
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So anything that can be done by them to help diplomacy would be welcomed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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With me is Khazran Najee from BBC Persian.
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Thanks for coming in.
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So Iran open there to some Chinese involvement.
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Could Beijing move the needle, do you think?
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They should be able to.
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They have the leverage.
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They buy most of Iran's oil,
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A, and B, they have a long-term strategic relationship with Tehran.
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They have good relations,
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but they also have good relations with the Gulf countries in the southern part of the Gulf, Persian Gulf.
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So they are in a difficult position.
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But they've said it time and again
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that they are against this closure of the Strait of Hormuz and they want it open to international shipping.
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And that puts them in a bit of a collision course with Iranians.
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Iranians these days, they think they are in the driver's seat
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and they have control over the Strait of Hormuz and they want to keep that.
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They want sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz,
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and they want to control and manage the shipping through there.
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So that's on the opposite side of this issue.
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How are they going to solve it?
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Obviously, Russia has leverage, but we have to wait and see how this thing develops.
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And I suppose there's also the issue of trust that was mentioned by the foreign minister.
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Is there any hope that these two nations can get back to some kind of negotiations,
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given the low level of trust there is?
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between the US and Iran?
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Well, the latest on that is that Iranian foreign minister has confirmed that in the last couple of days,
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the US has sent messages through Pakistan saying that we still want to continue on this diplomatic path.
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And I suppose Iranians are open to it.
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In fact, the way Iran's foreign minister was speaking about it.
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It seemed that they are open to it,
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although they keep saying they are not trusting the American side.
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But at the end of the day,
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I think they will go back to that diplomatic channel through Pakistan.
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But for For the moment the ball is in the US court,
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they have to sort of figure out what they are going to do with the Strait of Hormuz,
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they're going to open it or what mm-hmm Khazran Ajay thanks very much indeed
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that on the stalemate there no certain negotiation thank you the
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conflict in the Middle East is still causing major supply chain
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issues for countries around the world particularly across Asia India is
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among the hardest hit state-run fuel retailers have been forced to
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raise prices for the first time in four years the move
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will push up the cost of everyday goods for hundreds of millions of people.
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I speak to our North America business correspondent, Michelle Fleury.
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So the impact is pretty strong there, particularly in India.
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Yeah, it is.
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I mean, I think it shouldn't come as any surprise.
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India is a massive importer of energy.
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90% of it comes from overseas.
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And of course, as we know,
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at the moment, the Strait of Hormuz,
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which carries a big chunk of that, is effectively blocked.
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And
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so India has been spending a lot more money trying to bring in the kind of fuel it needs for the country,
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but that is expensive.
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And so we've seen initiatives by the government and by Modi kind of trying to encourage people to travel less,
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to use less fuel, to conserve where they can,
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but obviously not enough to stop this rise in prices at the pump.
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The other initiative they've also talked about,
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which is notable, is they've tried to encourage citizens not to buy as much gold.
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Part of the culture is buying gold.
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It has a sort of special place in the culture,
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but that is pushing pressure on foreign reserves.
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So we're seeing sort of myriad ways in
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which essentially what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz is kind of rippling out and having big impacts on India's economy.
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Day about the UAE trying to bypass the Strait of Hormuz with a new pipeline.
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Tell us more about that.
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Yeah, again, it goes back to the Strait of Hormuz,
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where about a fifth of the world's energy supply passes through this critical waterway.
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And when you look at countries in that area,
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you've got places like Saudi Arabia that have pipelines in place already
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that can kind of transport the oil they pump out of the ground to another part of the country
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and to a different waterway, essentially.
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And UAE has announced that they want to speed up development of a pipeline.
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So this is the second project they're undertaking,
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again, with the same goal of becoming less dependent on the Strait of Hormuz.
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And I think that is what is sort of notable as this crisis goes on and on and on.
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You're seeing countries
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and governments around the world trying to figure out how can
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they change the way they sort of use these supply chains
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so that they are not so dependent on energy resources coming from the Strait of Hormuz.
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So whatever happens going forward,
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we can expect in the very long term a real shift in kind of how things have been
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and no return to quite where we were before this conflict began.
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Michelle Fleury, thank you very much indeed.
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Meanwhile, talks are continuing in Washington between Israel and Lebanon to try to extend a ceasefire that's scheduled to end on Sunday.
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Washington said the first day of talks was positive
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but despite the ceasefire on paper the fighting has never stopped
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Israel launched further strikes on what they deemed his Bola militants
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in southern Lebanon on Friday Israel also reported a number of his Bola drone strikes on its positions around the border.
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I speak to our correspondent in Jerusalem,
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Emin Adder, for the latest on those strikes.
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Tell us what you're hearing.
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Well, there's been a heavy round of Israeli airstrikes in the south of Lebanon.
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We've heard from the Lebanese health authorities that 55 people have been killed in those airstrikes in the past 48 hours.
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Many of those airstrikes are focused on the city of Tyre in the south on the Mediterranean Sea.
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The Israeli military said that it was targeting what it called Hezbollah infrastructure there,
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but we have seen reports from,
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for instance, a hospital there whose director says that it has been damaged and a number of his staff injured.
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We've also seen today new evacuation orders by the Israeli military
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telling Lebanese citizens in the south in five different towns and villages to leave their homes or face danger and possibly death.
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And of course, this is all taking place as this purported ceasefire is supposed to be ongoing between Israel
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and Lebanon and Hezbollah.
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However, we've also seen Hezbollah increasing the efficacy of its attacks
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on Israeli troops with a number of Israeli troops being killed one last night in a mortar strike by Hezbollah,
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targeting an Israeli base there.
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And of course, all of this is taking place as eyes are on the U.S.,
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where the Lebanese delegation is meeting the Israeli delegation there to discuss an extension of this ceasefire deal.
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How likely is an extension,
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I mean, given what we've just been talking about?
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Well, people are optimistic that it will be extended.
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This is the third round of negotiations.
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There you have the ambassadors of Lebanon and Israel to the U.S taking part in them.
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The State Department said that after the first day of talks yesterday that they are productive,
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they are positive, they are moving in the right direction.
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However, of course, we're in the strange position where Lebanon negotiates partly on behalf of Hezbollah.
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The Lebanese state isn't really a party to this war,
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but we have heard from the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament,
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who acts as an intermediary with Hezbollah,
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saying that if a deal was struck,
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Hezbollah would commit to that deal.
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We understand that the Lebanese position is that they would like to see Israeli troops fully withdraw from the south of Lebanon,
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from those places that they are occupying,
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and then they believe Hezbollah would begin this process of disarming.
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But obviously, it's an extremely complex challenge.
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It's essentially the same basis of the deal as the 2024 ceasefire deal,
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which, as we know, has fallen apart.
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What I think the parties are hoping for this time is
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that the increased U.S focus on this ceasefire
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and on monitoring any particular ceasefire deal that would be reached would help guarantee the security there,
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guarantee the peace.
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And then the Lebanese government could begin in engaging with that complex process of getting Hezbollah to disarm.
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And finally, obviously, there is the Iran general ceasefire dimension,
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with Iran continuing to demand that a ceasefire on all fronts is part of a deal,
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and that would, of course, include Lebanon as well.
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Amir Nader, thank you very much indeed.
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Whether you're joining us on YouTube,
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TikTok, Sounds, radio or TV, thanks for your time.
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We'll be back at the same time tomorrow with the Iran war today.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice listening to and speaking English using a recent news report on international relations involving the United States, China, and Iran. This content allows you to engage with real-world topics while improving your comprehension and pronunciation skills. As you learn English with YouTube, focus on the nuances of speech and the context of geopolitical discussions, which will enhance your ability to discuss current events confidently.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Strait of Hormuz - A crucial maritime passage for global oil shipments.
- Negotiating table - A metaphor for discussions aimed at reaching an agreement.
- Trust - The reliance on the integrity, strength, or ability of someone or something.
- Ceasefire - An agreement to stop fighting temporarily, often to allow for negotiations.
- Oil pipeline - A means of transporting oil through tubes from one location to another.
- Leverage - The power to influence a situation or outcome.
- Stability - A state of steady or secure conditions, often used in political contexts.
- Nuclear weapon - A bomb or explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions.
Practice Tips
To effectively use this lesson for shadowing practice, focus on the following tips:
- Listen Actively: Start by watching the video without any distractions. Pay attention to how words are pronounced and the emotional tone conveyed by the speaker.
- Utilize Shadowing: Use the shadowspeak technique by repeating phrases immediately after the speaker without pausing. This will improve your pronunciation and rhythm.
- Match the Speed: The speaker in this video maintains a moderate pace. If you find it challenging, consider using a shadowing app to slow down the audio slightly, and gradually increase the speed as your confidence grows.
- Record Yourself: After shadowing, record your voice to compare with the original. This helps identify areas where you can improve pronunciation and intonation.
- Engage with the Topic: Discuss the video content in a study group or forum. Engaging in conversations about current events can enrich your vocabulary and enforce your learning.
By consistently practicing with this shadowing site, you will develop a more natural speaking ability and boost your confidence in discussing complex subjects in English.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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