Shadowing Practice: Sec. Rubio addresses Iran's nuclear weapons program in Greece - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Thank you.
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Thank you for your welcome.
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It's actually great to be here to have our sixth strategic dialogue, which is ongoing, and we've begun downstairs a few minutes ago.
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It's an event where our two countries commit to continue to work together on a range of issues.
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we are two countries that are bound by a common heritage
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and by proud histories the united states and greece share a long history of friendship and partnership and alliance in fact
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the importance of this historical alliance is highlighted by the instability in the world today
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that we see as a result of conflicts in harmuz with haran
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or conflicts in the red sea with the when yemen
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or conflicts in ukraine and russia as you see a world
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that faces these destabilizing events you recognize how important this alliance
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with Greece is to the United States it's both historic
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and historical in its foundation
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but it is also critical it is a it is a source of stability in an unstable world
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and I'm thankful we're thankful that Greece remains a great ally and
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that we share a common understanding this is really important we're
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not just a great ally we share a common understanding of the threats
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that face our countries the face the threat that face our societies, and we share a common understanding about the means to address them.
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One thing we agree on, for example, is that the nations of Europe need to take on a greater share of the burden in defending their continent, and Greece is doing just that.
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They're on track to meet the commitments that have been made to spend 5 % of their GDP on defense this year,
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with over 3 .5 % of their GDP being spent on core defense.
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They're also joining the National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, and they'll be paired, ironically enough, with the Florida National Guard,
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which will bring our military collaboration even closer.
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Greece is also a very close and strategic partner on border security and the fight against mass migration, against fighting, they're a great ally as well,
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on fighting transnational criminal organizations, on counterterrorism.
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Due to its geography in the Mediterranean, at the crossroads of many of these transit routes,
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Greece is particularly exposed to the threats posed by mass migration, by human trafficking, by different forms of terror.
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As part of our efforts to combat these common threats to our nations, we're proud to announce a new memorandum of understanding establishing a
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joint security program to strengthen counterterrorism information sharing between our respective law enforcement agencies.
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What we do not wish to see, under any circumstances, is that the birthplace of the West is threatened by bad decisions,
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by inaction, by failure to address challenges, and so this program is going to create stronger,
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more proactive law enforcement cooperation that can readily stop these threats.
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All of these initiatives and more show that Greece is a true and strong and model NATO NATO ally, a country that understands the importance of burden sharing and
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that is willing to work with partners to address critical threats to all member states.
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Beyond the scope of military operations, because that is not the only part of our relationship that is important, Greece is an important partner in securing the alliance's economic future as well.
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It plays a vital role in global commerce in a variety of ways and in a variety of industries.
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For example, we share a mutual intent to deepen our collaboration on emerging technology, and we intend to expand U .S.
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LNG imports and building new gas and electricity interconnectors that strengthen regional energy security and our respective bilateral energy infrastructure.
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And finally, we're working together to combat antiquities trafficking into the United States,
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which finances criminal organizations and harms the U .S art market.
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This is an important initiative to both of our countries.
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as we in the U .S value the artifacts of our Western ancestors just as much as the modern Greeks do.
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The State Department, along with our partners in Homeland Security, the FBI, the CBP,
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are cooperating with Greek law enforcement to safeguard cultural property across
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the Mediterranean to protect our shared cultural heritage from illicit trafficking networks.
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So today's strategic dialogue, I hope, reflects the strong relationship between our two countries and the breadth of the issues that we're working together to address.
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And I'm grateful for the opportunity to spend time with you and with your colleagues, and I look forward to working with all of you in the future to secure our nations and protect our core interests.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Now, we will take four questions.
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Please state your name and the medium you represent and to whom you address the question.
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And the Secretary of State will now take on a couple of questions.
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Please state your name.
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uh the media outlet you represent and to whom you're directing you're directing your question thank you
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my question is for secretary rubio mr secretary you uh mentioned uh the issue of energy security of Europe
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and the differentiation of energy sources and that it is a strategic choice of the U .S administration.
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I wanted to ask to what extent can Greece rely on the support of the U .S on major projects
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and initiatives it undertakes in this direction.
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It's not only the vertical corridor, it's also the ExxonMobil operations, the Chevron explorations out of Crete and the big interconnection,
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electrical interconnection projects of Greece and Egypt and the other major projects, the electrical interconnection between Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
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Thank you.
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We're very committed.
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I guess the other people in the room don't know what you asked.
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Oh, they do, because they're hearing it on the little radio thing.
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Okay.
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I was about to tell you what he asked me, but you know.
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So look, we're very committed to this.
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In addition to the security cooperation, I would argue that energy security is tied to national security and
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if you don't believe it just see what's happening now in the world with what iran is trying to do
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and failing to do but trying to do
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so i think what we have learned is i think we've always known this
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but i think recent events reminds us of how it is
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important to have a diverse corridors for energy supply we can never be in a situation where
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if energy is cut off
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or energy flows are cut off from one part of the world the whole world is threatened
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and the ability of nation states to act in their best interest is compromised by the leverage
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that one country or a rogue regime could have over them.
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So we're very committed to all of these corridors and to all of these efforts, and Greece is a great partner to do it with.
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Obviously, some of the issues you've highlighted, some of the things you asked about are tied up into a very delicate situation involving other countries.
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I won't say who, but other countries that are involved in some of the things that are complicating that.
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And I would just say that issues of that nature
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that are that delicate and are that critical are probably best addressed through the private diplomacy outside the realm of press conferences.
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So let me just leave you with this.
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We are very committed to the success of these projects,
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and we're very committed to the partnership we have with Greece on energy security because it's in Greece's national interest,
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but it's also in ours and I think is furthering the cause of global security.
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And on those issues that you raised, I acknowledge they involve some very sensitive and delicate topics, and we intend to address them in the proper form so they can be addressed.
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I know we like to be transparent, but there are things in global affairs that are best not debated at press conferences but handled at the table of dialogue.
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And by the way, I want to commend your foreign minister for always being someone
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who's been out there working very hard to seek dialogue and stability in the world.
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He's committed a lot to it personally, and it's something we appreciate and acknowledge.
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Thank you.
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Yes, I believe in the center, Ms. Gaziz.
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Thank you very much.
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Olivia Gaziz with CBS News.
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Two questions for you, Mr. Secretary.
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See, they always cheat.
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My American people, you guys ask one question, and they always ask two, they get one, but they ask two.
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Go ahead.
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There's a lot of news in the world.
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They're always cheating.
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We've got to do a rule here.
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Go ahead.
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Maximalists.
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I know you're both well -versed in fielding.
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Well, sometimes it's three, it's not even two, it's three, so she's being reasonable.
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Go ahead.
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Thank you very much.
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Mr. Secretary, yesterday the Vice President said that Iran needed to do something meaningful to its nuclear enrichment capacity.
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Is that to say that the U .S is now open to an enrichment capacity above zero in Iran?
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I don't think it means that.
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This is my second question, if you don't mind.
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If I may, amid increasing congressional scrutiny of Ambassador Guilfoyle's tenure here, I'm wondering, Mr. Secretary, if you've personally reviewed some of those allegations
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and are confident that all is in compliance with State Department ethics?
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If you'd like to answer, then I can pose the question to the minister.
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Pose what question to the minister?
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I'll just do the third question to the minister.
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That is to say the only question to the minister.
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Well, on the second question, this is not the forum where we're going to address that.
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It's as simple as that.
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Suffice it to say our embassy here is doing a great job.
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Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here.
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The questions you're asking me, we're not addressing those at press conferences in Greece with a foreign minister
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and in another country
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that said um on your first question look it's very certain
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i don't understand what the confusion is about the nuclear program iran cannot have a nuclear weapon simple period
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and end of story i'm not going to go into it
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you know into the details about what would be acceptable
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or not i can tell you this
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that they're not going to ever have a nuclear program
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and anything they agree to
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that would be acceptable to the united states has to be something that ensures that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
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That is what our position is.
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That is the reason why this began.
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And it's important to understand, and I've raised this multiple times, I'll raise it again.
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What Iran was trying to do was build up a conventional capability so massive that they would become untouchable.
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In essence, they would come to the world in a year or two and say, you can't attack us.
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We're going to build a nuclear weapon, and there's nothing you can do about it because we have
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so many missiles and so many drones that if you try to do anything about our nuclear program, we will wipe out every country in the Middle East.
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We will drive the US forces out of the region.
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We can do whatever we want.
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That is what they were trying to achieve.
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President of the United States, Donald J.
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Trump, was never going to allow that to happen.
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He just wasn't.
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He addressed something that had been ignored for far too long.
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And so he destroyed their drone program, their drone manufacturing capability.
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He destroyed their missile capability.
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He severely eroded both of those capabilities in terms of current launchers.
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He destroyed their Navy.
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He destroyed their Air Force.
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They are far less powerful militarily today than they were and
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that line of immunity they were trying to hide behind has
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been erased they will never have a nuclear weapon period not as long as president trump is in office
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and that to us is the bright line now how you achieve that and
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so forth you know i think they've had multiple opportunities in
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the past to reach agreements on those things they have failed to do
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so now they're facing crippling sanctions their economy is in total
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and complete free fall i'm happy
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that for the first time even the media in the u
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.s is beginning to cover what a bad situation iran faces
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the straits of hormuz are open there's almost as much oil
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flowing out now as there was before this conflict began
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so they've lost complete control of the straits and their economy
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and it's not not only in free fall now the iranian economy is about to reach a place
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that few countries in the world have been in terms of how bad it's going to get
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and it's all the fault all the fault of the radical shia clerics
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that make the decisions in that country they are the ones
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that have put the poor people of Iran in the situation that they're in, because every dollar and every penny that that regime gets,
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they don't spend it on roads or bridges or helping improve the lives of the Iranian people.
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They spend that money on Hezbollah, and Hamas, and militias that fire rockets out of Iraq, and the Houthis.
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That's who they spend their money on.
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They should have spent their money on their people, and instead they spend their money on terrorism and on weapons.
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So hopefully that'll change.
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But yeah, they'll never have a nuclear weapon.
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Thank you very much, Mr. Foreign Minister, for taking the question.
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As President Trump weighs the potential of renewed strikes on Iran, is consideration being given in Greece to support those strikes from Souda Bay,
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especially in light of the events at Fairfield that demonstrated increased Iranian threats to U .S assets in Europe?
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Thank you.
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First of all, let me point out
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that Greece has a stance of principle on all matters have to do with armed conflict,
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whether this be Ukraine or Middle East.
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This stance is the respect of international law and the support of those who defend themselves versus the aggressor.
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In this sense, the Greek state not only supported the Greek territory and the Sudabay,
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but also became a security provider.
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We provided security to neighboring countries.
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We provided security to Cyprus when it was directly threatened, to Bulgaria, to countries of the Gulf.
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Now, Greece, with its advanced defense system and its very strong geopolitical position is in a position to provide security,
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to be an exporter of security and be a pillar of stability.
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As I've already mentioned, Greece is already a major player in the Red Sea operation under the use of the European Union,
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the ASPIDES operation for the safe navigation of vessels passing through the Red Sea.
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If it is necessary to participate in additional operations then in the framework of a greater
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operation that will be responsible for the smooth passage from the Gulf it is obvious
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that Greece will once again be at the forefront next question good Good morning,
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Vasilis Nedos, Kathimerini Newspaper.
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My question is to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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You've already mentioned the operations in which Greece participates in the Red Sea.
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There are many open and clear requests from the U .S side for the participation in other U .S.
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initiatives in the Middle East, Hormuz, Red Sea, and the greater regions.
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So my question is whether Greece intends to participate in such missions.
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And I wanted to ask you whether you discussed with the
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Secretary of State for the Greece -Israeli relationship how this is upsetting one of our neighbors.
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As regards Greece's participation in operations, let me point out that the operations that that take place in the Red Sea,
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in the Mediterranean, in the Indian Ocean are all supplementary to U .S initiatives,
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therefore they are not in antithesis, but they are supplementary.
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As you know, Greece has a leading role in the presence in the Red Sea especially.
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On the other hand, if it becomes necessary,
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then we'll be in a situation to work with the U .S.
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and provide the necessary assistance,
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maritime assistance in the Hormuz Straits if the situation allows it and if there is a viable peace process.
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Let me point out that Greece is not only interested in that because it is a leading shipping force,
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but it is interested in that because through shipping, we ensure the supply chain,
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energy security, and at the end of the day, prosperity of the peoples.
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As we got the discussion we had with Mr. Secretary regarding the greater region,
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we discussed all the issues that concern Israel as well.
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As you know, Greece has developed a strategic relations with Israel.
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We've already developed varied actions with Israel.
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I would like to mention once again the three -plus -one framework
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that includes Cyprus and the U .S and it concerns energy matters, but also geopolitical affairs.
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our understanding on the Middle East.
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We share the same understanding of Middle Eastern issues with Mr. Secretary.
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There should be peace in the region.
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The 20 -point plan should go ahead to phase B in order to ensure viable peace
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and reconstruction in Gaza and all actions,
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especially in the Western Bank that create impediments should cease?
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Please, I would like to stress the one, because we are a bit behind schedule.
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Good luck.
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Please.
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Thank you.
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John Hudson with The Washington Post.
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Mr. Secretary, will the State Department continue telling foreign governments not to facilitate Maria Carina Machado's return to Venezuela
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and a bigger societal question?
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You're talking like an auctioneer.
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Slow down.
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I'm just trying to make sure I get everything in.
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He's talking fast.
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He's trying to get another question.
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What was your first question?
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That is correct.
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Will the State Department continue telling foreign governments not to facilitate?
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Who told you we said that?
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That's widely reported at this point.
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It is? By who?
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Who widely reported that?
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The Wall Street Journal.
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Oh.
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So it's in the newspaper.
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It's true?
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Because I can show you a lot of articles that are in the newspaper that are not true.
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so this is I always love these stories you guys get somebody to tell you something then you report it
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so now it's an established fact and then you ask me about it as
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if somehow I'm responding to something that's been factually proven I
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don't know what you're talking about honestly I don't know you're you're just
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because you guys report something doesn't mean it's true you know this right I'm sure you know this okay
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so the premise of your question is not true
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we've never asked anyone not to let anybody else in anywhere in the world I've told you, I've said this repeatedly about,
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so I don't even, I don't know how to answer a question that's based on something that is false.
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Well, how about a bigger societal question on artificial intelligence?
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Where do you stand on the government's role?
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It's called super intelligence.
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I figured you might challenge that language.
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Where do you stand on the government's role in preventing frontier labs from threatening the future of the human race?
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And Mr. Minister, where does Greece and the European Union stand on regulating American AI companies?
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Well, we have just on superintel, it doesn't matter where I stand on it.
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It's not about where I stand.
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Where's the U .S government?
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The U .S government has set up a process, as you know.
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Jay Clayton is running that task force, and it's going to establish how the U .S is going to interact with attempts to regulate,
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attempts to mitigate against the potential downsides of superintelligence, intelligence but also the ability to benefit from the good things
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that it's going to do so we've got a task force set up
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that he's chairing and it has a good group of people involved in it
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and there's where you're going to find the
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and look this is a new issue I mean it's not a new issue
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but it's an issue that's rapidly evolved in terms of the consciousness of people and nation states having to address it, and we've stood up a process.
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to do that as far as the U .S response is concerned.
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And we'll work very closely with our allies around the world as well.
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So I would just refer you to that process and that task force as it begins its work.
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You saw what the president did last week when they had a gathering of all the leaders in that field.
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They had a joint declaration that sort of laid out some very broad outlines as to how we're going to approach this.
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And the goal is this, as best I could describe it in the most simplistic terms.
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Super intelligence is going to happen, or what people call AI, is going to happen.
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Okay, it's happening already.
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Here's the question, how do we take the positives of it
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and harness it in a way that serves the interests of our country, and how do we mitigate or prevent the dangers of it?
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And to begin, you have to understand what are the potential benefits and what are the potential downsides,
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and then what role can government play in terms of a regulatory structure to influence those two things?
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Highlighting and making sure the positives are enjoyed by our country, mitigating against the dangers.
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That's what this process is designed to do, and they're working very quickly, and they have to work very quickly because that technology is evolving extremely fast.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 288 sentences and 3643 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:12. The speaker talks at a natural 172 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| strategic adjective | /stɹəˈti.dʒɪk/ | Of or pertaining to strategy. |
| initiative noun | /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/ | A beginning; a first move. |
| dialogue noun | /ˈdaɪəˌlɑɡ/ | A conversation or other form of discourse between two or more individuals. |
| capability noun | /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/ | The power or ability to generate an outcome. |
| threaten verb | /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/ | To make a threat against someone; to use threats. |
| alley noun | /ˈæl.i/ | A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots of buildings. |
| partnership noun | /ˈpɑɹtnɚʃɪp/ | The state of being associated with a partner. |
| enforcement noun | /ɪnˈfoɹsm(ə)nt/ | The act of enforcing; compulsion. |
| alliance noun | /əˈlaɪ.əns/ | The state of being allied. |
| ambassador noun | /æmˈbæs.ə.dɚ/ | A diplomat of the highest rank sent to a foreign court to represent there their sovereign or country. (Sometimes called ambassador-in-residence) |
| stability noun | /stəˈbɪlɪti/ | The condition of being stable or in equilibrium, and thus resistant to change. |
| pose verb | /poʊz/ | To place in an attitude or fixed position, for the sake of effect. |
| intend verb | /ɪnˈtɛnd/ | To fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon |
| delicate adjective | /ˈdɛl.ɪ.kət/ | Easily damaged or requiring careful handling. |
| drone noun | /dɹoʊn/ | A male hymenopteran (ant, bee, hornet, or wasp), whose sole primary function is to mate with the queen. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| point out verb | To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body. | |
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
| build up verb | To erect; to construct. | |
| cut off verb | /ˌkʌt ˈɔf/ [ˌkɐɾ ˈɔf] | To remove by cutting. |
| have over verb | To host (a visiting guest) at one's house. | |
| lay out verb | /ˌleɪ ˈaʊt/ | To expend or contribute money to an expense or purchase. |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 78 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, don't, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/, strengthen /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/, thankful /ˈθæŋkfəl/, smooth /smuːð/, sixth /sɪksθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: initiative /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/, partnership /ˈpɑɹtnɚʃɪp/, establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/, participation /pɑːˌtɪs.ɪˈpeɪ.ʃən/, cooperation /koʊˌɑ.pəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: initiative /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/, capability /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/, ambassador /æmˈbæs.ə.dɚ/, stability /stəˈbɪlɪti/, electrical /ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like strategic, initiative, dialogue.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've begun · have been made · have learned |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are bound · is highlighted · have been made |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | dialogue, which is · those who defend |
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.