Learning English

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The story

The US-Israel war with Iran continues. The US military says it has "eliminated" 16 Iranian mine-laying ships in the area.

Iran continues its strikes across the region, including in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait. People in Tehran have told BBC News Persian about heavy strikes and powercuts. Meanwhile, three commercial ships have been damaged by "unknown projectiles" in the area.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump said the war was "very far ahead of schedule" and "very complete, pretty much". The war has had an impact on the global price of oil, because of the difficulty shipping oil from the region and uncertainty over how long the war could last.

News headlines

Oil prices seesaw as Trump sends mixed messages on what’s next in Iran
Washington Post

Chris Mason: The cost of living is catapulted centre stage yet again
BBC News

What we know about Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei - and why his appointment doesn't bode well for peace
Sky News

Key words and phrases

send mixed messages
do or say things that cause confusion about what you mean

• My boss is sending me mixed messages about whether I’ll be promoted. Sometimes she praises me, sometimes she criticises me.

centre stage
the most important thing or the thing that everyone is paying attention to

• Green energy will be centre stage again at this year’s climate conference.

bode well
be a sign that good things will happen in the future

• She went to the doctors, and they wanted to do lots of tests, which doesn’t bode well. 

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