Shadowing Practice: War in Iran expected to be high on agenda for Trump in China | BBC News - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello, I'm Lewis Vaughan-Jones.
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Hello, I'm Lewis Vaughan-Jones.
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This is the Iran War Today,
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our daily briefing,
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bringing you right up to date with all you need to know on day 75 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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President Trump arrives in China for talks with President Xi.
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The Iran war is likely to come up.
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But as he left, the U.S.
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President Donald Trump told reporters he didn't need China's help to resolve the conflict.
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I don't think we need any help with Iran,
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to be honest with you.
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They're defeated militarily and they'll either do the right thing or we'll finish the job.
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The International Energy Agency warns the global oil supply will not
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meet total demand this year as the war continues to impact Middle East oil production.
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Lebanon says Israel has targeted cars travelling on a coastal motorway in its latest airstrikes despite the ceasefire.
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Israel says it's striking Hezbollah targets.
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And we find out why the packs of some of Japan's biggest snacks are turning black and white because of the war.
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We're going to start in China,
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where President Trump has arrived in Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi.
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The discussions are expected to cover the war in Iran,
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but as he left Washington,
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President Trump said he didn't need China's help in ending the conflict.
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While Trump was greeted by hundreds of schoolchildren and the Chinese vice president on his arrival there in Beijing for the summit,
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during his two-day visit, the global superpowers are expected to discuss the war in Iran,
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which has caused a considerable strain on China's economy.
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Despite Mr Trump's claims,
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the US has been putting pressure on Beijing to use whatever leverage it has over its longtime friend
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and ally Tehran to push it towards the negotiating table.
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In a moment, we'll be live in Washington with our White House reporter Bernd Deboosman.
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But let's start in Beijing with our China correspondent Stephen McDonnell.
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Here's his assessment of what might come up up.
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Before coming to China, Donald Trump said he was going to raise the Iran war issue with Xi Jinping.
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Then suddenly, just before leaving the US,
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he said, oh, we don't need China to fix our problems in the Middle East.
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It seems he was watering down expectations,
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possibly fearing he was going to get nothing on this.
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Now, in theory, you can understand why Donald Trump might have said to Xi Jinping,
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Iran is a key trading partner of yours.
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How about you lean on them with a view to getting them to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
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After all, this is hurting your economy as well.
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Well, there are several problems with this.
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Number one, China blames the US and Israel for starting the war and might say,
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well, you created this global economic chaos.
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Why should we clean it up?
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Number two, China could say we've already been speaking to Iran.
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We've already been calling on them to be part of a negotiated settlement.
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It's just that the terms that China
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and Iran might find acceptable are not the same as what Donald Trump might find acceptable.
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Number three, China wants a proper ceasefire before it gets involved anymore in the Iran issue.
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And number four, crucially, Xi Jinping could say to Donald Trump,
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look, we think Iran has the right to a civilian nuclear electricity capability.
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And that's not something that the US and Israel might go along with.
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So you can see that over the coming days,
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Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have a lot to speak about when it comes to the Middle East.
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Thanks to Steve for that.
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Well, Iran has restated its plan to maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz.
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A military spokesperson said this would generate significant revenue and strengthen Iran's international influence.
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Speaking in Washington, just before he flew to Beijing,
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President Trump was asked by reporters what his red lines were when it came to maybe ending the ceasefire with Iran.
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Well, we're going to see,
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And we'll be thinking about it on the flight,
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and we'll be thinking about it for the next little while.
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But we've beaten their military very soundly.
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That's over with.
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The blockade is very effective.
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It's been 100 percent effective.
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And one way or the other,
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it's going to work out very well.
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It's going to work out very well.
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I think you're going to have so much oil,
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you're going to have a gusher of oil like you've never had before.
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So when oil goes up a little bit,
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I thought it would go up much more.
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If you go back three,
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four months ago when we were contemplating,
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we assumed oil would go much higher.
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Yesterday it was at $99.
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And if you think about it,
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I would have taken that all day long because it's very simple.
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Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
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They will not have a nuclear weapon.
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They know that.
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They've agreed to that.
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And then that's not what they said to me when it came to pay.
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We don't play games.
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They're not going to have a nuclear weapon.
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Well, President Trump also posted on social media attacks on US media's reporting on Iran.
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He said, when the fake news says that the Iranian enemy is doing well militarily against us,
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it's virtual treason in that it is such a false and even preposterous statement.
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This post on Truth Social came after the New York Times reported that his administration's portrayal
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of a shattered Iranian military was at odds with what U.S intelligence agencies were saying behind closed doors.
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Let's cross live now to Washington.
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Our White House reporter, Bern de Poussman, is there.
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Hi, Bern.
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So Donald Trump arrived in China.
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Could we see some behind-the-scenes negotiations on Iran here?
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Well, despite what we just heard President Trump say,
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the war in Iran has already cast quite a large shadow over the trip to China.
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It was already delayed once when combat operations were still underway.
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And despite Trump saying he doesn't need China,
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White House officials have very clearly told reporters that it's something that will be brought up.
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The White House and the Trump administration more broadly hope
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that China's own economic ties with Iran
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and their necessity for Iranian oil will prompt them to kind of lean on Tehran to,
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A, reopen the Strait of Hormuz,
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and, B, come to a deal that the U.S sees as at least something workable or worth discussing.
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There's also the issue of sanctions.
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Already several Chinese-linked people and several Chinese-linked firms have been sanctioned for helping,
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allegedly helping, Iran's war effort.
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And that's something that President Trump,
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according to officials, is very keen to bring up with his Chinese counterpart.
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And, Bernd, I mentioned that message that Donald Trump posted again, yet again criticizing the media?
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Well, this is something that stretches back even before the war in Iran.
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Last year, after Operation Midnight Hammer,
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he reacted extremely angrily to any reporting in the media that Iran's nuclear facilities weren't completely obliterated,
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as he had said at the time.
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It has picked up some pace in recent weeks,
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though he's been very upset with reporting that suggests
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that Iran's military has not been degraded as much as he tells reporters it is.
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And now we're starting to see kind of action from the administration.
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The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche,
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said reporters shouldn't be surprised if they receive subpoenas because of national security reporting.
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We know the Wall Street Journal has already received subpoenas.
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And I think if the Trump administration continues to be so displeased with the reporting and displeased,
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more importantly, with the leaking and the sources from the administration,
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we're likely to see many more of those subpoenas in the coming weeks and months.
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Interesting.
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And just across the U.S.,
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of course, concerns will be about gas prices,
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prices at the gas stations.
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And that's something, presumably, therefore,
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that will be on Donald Trump's mind.
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It will be, even though yesterday when he was leaving for China from the White House,
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President Trump said that he doesn't really think about American economic concerns when it comes to the war with Iran.
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He thinks that's a price worth paying for Iran not to have a nuclear weapon.
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But at the same time,
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it comes at a very tricky time.
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Polls show that many Americans are very concerned with the price of petrol at the pump,
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for example, and the economy more broadly.
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And with the midterms coming up in November,
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many Republican lawmakers, many of whom are up for reelection or up for election,
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will be facing tremendous pressure from their own constituents that those prices be brought down.
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And that's something they've expressed to the White House and the Trump administration.
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And any suggestion that President Trump is responsible for those prices remaining elevated,
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that's something that Americans will be very concerned about and which President Trump is very keenly aware of.
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Thank you.
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Next, a new warning about the supply of oil because of the war.
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The International Energy Agency says the global oil supply will not meet total demand this year.
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The conflict continues to have an impact on Middle East oil production,
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along with a blockade, of course,
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with the Strait of Hormuz.
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The organization also says that countries are having to dip into stocks of oil they have at a record pace.
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The warning came as European energy ministers met in Cyprus to talk about ways of easing the burden of high fuel prices.
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Our discussions here today are vital.
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The situation is critical.
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We need to ensure that energy crisis,
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transportation risks should not undermine our competitiveness and should not undermine our economic stability.
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Let's go live to New York.
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Our business correspondent Samira Hussain is there.
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Hi, Samira.
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So just give us a bit of detail on what the International Energy Agency is saying.
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They're basically saying that, look,
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we're not getting a lot of the oil that we normally would through the Strait of Hormuz.
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That we know.
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But then they're also saying the amount of oil that people had stockpiled,
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that countries had stockpiled, well,
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countries are now dipping into those stockpiles and they're using that oil faster and faster.
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So it means that there's just so much less buffer for any kind of emergency.
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And they're saying that, look,
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countries are already implementing measures.
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And we know that in Asia,
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for example, India, we've seen a request by the prime minister for people to work from home and to not travel,
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not travel internationally.
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We're seeing that airlines are cutting flights.
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We're seeing increases to energy taxes in a lot of countries to try
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and make up for that because the energy crisis is serious.
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And now the IEA is pricing in as if the war were to end by the end of June.
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Of course, all of this will change if the war continues after that.
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And Donald Trump obviously worried about the price of gas at the pumps.
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What about the markets?
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Well, it's questionable whether Donald Trump is in fact worried about the price at the pumps.
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On the one hand, you do hear that the president is considering to cut the taxes on gasoline at the pump.
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It's about, you know, 18 percent at the moment.
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But on the other hand,
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you hear him making comments like those
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that he made at the White House talking about how he doesn't really think about the finances of Americans
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and that the price of oil is high, but only temporarily.
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If you look at financial markets,
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they're really concerned about these stockpiles and what that means going forward.
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And now the United States is starting to see some economic data
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that is showing just how much of an impact the war in Iran is having here domestically
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and that is really what's driving markets into the red yesterday
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and today and
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that is certainly something president trump will pay attention to okay
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thank you samira there's been another day of israeli airstrikes in
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southern lebanon lebanon's health ministry says at least 12 people were
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killed including two children in the south of the country ministry
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said the attacks had targeted cars travelling on a coastal motorway despite the ceasefire in Lebanon.
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Israel's military said it was striking Hezbollah targets and had issued evacuation warnings for several villages.
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Lebanese officials say more than 400 people have been killed since the truce came into force last month.
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Israeli
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and Lebanese officials are expected to meet again in Washington on Thursday to try to find a way to end the war.
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Finally today, we've heard a lot about the economic impact of the war, of course.
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While in Japan it's having an effect on crisp packets.
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The country's biggest snack maker,
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Calbi, will temporarily switch some of its coloured packaging to black and white.
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It says the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has made it more difficult to obtain the right inks.
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Our Asia business correspondent Nick Marsh has the details.
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Would you buy this packet of crisps?
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No, it's not a glitch on your screen.
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Japan's biggest snap maker is switching a bunch of its packaging from colour to black and white.
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Why?
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Because the Iran war has caused an ink shortage.
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To make ink, you need something called nafta,
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which in turn comes from crude oil.
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Millions of barrels of which,
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as we know, are currently stuck near the Strait of Hormuz.
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Iran's been controlling that for the past couple of months in response to attacks from the US and Israel.
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Now Japan gets 90% of its crude oil and 40% of its nafta from the Middle East,
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so ink prices have shot up.
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Black ink's generally cheaper than coloured,
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so Calbi's decided to make the switch.
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Now is it a marketing stunt?
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Some analysts say that it could be,
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but either way you're going to find 14 of these black
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and white products in stores in Japan by the end of the month.
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Thanks to Nick for that.
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And I just want to bring you these live pictures that are coming in to us here from Tehran,
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the capital of Iran.
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People out on the streets,
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flags are out, they're off.
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They're giving a send-off to their World Cup football men's team,
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which are heading to the Football World Cup,
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which gets underway in about a month's time in the US, Mexico and Canada.
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So plenty of people out on the streets there to wish them well.
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Now whether you are joining us on YouTube,
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TikTok, Sounds, radio or TV, thanks for your company.
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We'll be back at the same time tomorrow with the Iran war today.
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Context & Background
In a recent briefing titled "Iran War Today," presented by Lewis Vaughan-Jones, significant developments surrounding the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran were discussed. President Donald Trump’s visit to China for talks with President Xi Jinping was a focal point, as it was anticipated that the escalating war in Iran would be a critical topic of discussion. Throughout the briefing, several geopolitical insights were revealed, particularly concerning the United States' stance on requiring assistance from China in addressing the conflict. This context provides a valuable backdrop for English learners looking to enhance their language skills through contemporary international news discussions.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "I don't think we need any help with Iran." - A statement concerning self-sufficiency and confidence.
- "They're defeated militarily." - An expression often used in discussions about conflicts and resolutions.
- "This is hurting your economy as well." - A phrase that illustrates the interconnectedness of global economies.
- "We're going to start in China." - A common phrase in announcements indicating the location of discussion.
- "We need a proper ceasefire." - A vital phrase when talking about conflict resolution and peace negotiations.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively utilize the shadowing technique with this video transcript, follow these steps:
- Listen Actively: Begin by watching the video to understand the context clearly. Pay attention to the intonation and pronunciation of the speaker.
- Segment the Transcript: Break the transcript into manageable sections. Tackle a few sentences at a time to avoid overwhelm.
- Repeat After the Speaker: Use the shadowing site or shadowing app of your choice. As you read aloud, mimic the rhythm and tone of the speaker. This practice will boost your fluency and comprehension.
- Focus on Key Phrases: Pay special attention to the top phrases identified earlier. Practice them multiple times until you can use them in your own sentences.
- Record Yourself: After practicing, record your voice. Listen for differences in pronunciation and adjust accordingly.
- Engage in Conversation: Finally, use the phrases in role-plays or discussions with a partner, enhancing your overall English speaking practice.
By integrating these steps into your learning routine, you will be better equipped to discuss complex topics such as international relations and enhance your overall speaking skills through effective shadowing techniques.
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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