The Reading / Listening - Iran Nuclear Deal - Level 5

Iran and the USA will soon talk to restart the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Discussions will be indirect, with no face-to-face meetings between high-level officials. European officials will act as intermediaries. On the table for discussion is the revival of the 2015 pact. In that deal, economic sanctions on Iran were eased in return for Iran stopping its nuclear program. This pact was meant to make it harder for Iran to develop nuclear weapons. It was abandoned by Donald Trump. Officials in Tehran have always denied they have had any intentions to develop nuclear weapons.

Negotiators on both sides say the talks will be difficult. There may not be any early breakthroughs. The USA wants to re-engage with Iran and revive the nuclear deal. A US negotiator said: "The primary issues to be discussed are actually quite simple. They are, on the one hand, the nuclear steps that Iran would need to take to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord, and on the other hand, the sanctions-relief steps that the United States would need to take." Iran will "reverse its remedial measures...taken because of the opposite side's violation of the treaty".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Iran Nuclear Deal - Level 4 or  Iran Nuclear Deal - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-iran-talks-nuclear-deal/2021/04/05/8fc279dc-962e-11eb-b28d-bfa7bb5cb2a5_story.html
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/6/vienna-talks-iran-and-world-powers-begin-nuclear-negotiations
  • https://www.voanews.com/usa/us-expects-difficult-iran-talks-sees-no-quick-breakthrough


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Discussions will
  2. no face-to-face
  3. act as
  4. the revival of
  5. economic
  6. This pact was meant to
  7. It was abandoned
  8. intentions to develop
  1. make it harder
  2. nuclear weapons
  3. the 2015 pact
  4. by Donald Trump
  5. be indirect
  6. sanctions
  7. meetings
  8. intermediaries

Paragraph 2

  1. Negotiators on
  2. the talks will
  3. There may not be any early
  4. The primary
  5. quite
  6. on the other
  7. Iran will reverse its remedial
  8. the opposite side's violation
  1. hand
  2. breakthroughs
  3. of the treaty
  4. simple
  5. measures
  6. be difficult
  7. issues
  8. both sides

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Iran and the USA will soon (1) ___________________ the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Discussions (2) ___________________, with no face-to-face meetings between high-level officials. European officials will act as intermediaries. On the (3) ___________________ is the revival of the 2015 pact. In that deal, economic sanctions on Iran were (4) ___________________ for Iran stopping its nuclear program. This pact was meant to (5) ___________________ for Iran to develop nuclear weapons. It was abandoned by Donald Trump. Officials in Tehran have always (6) ___________________ had any intentions to develop nuclear weapons.

Negotiators on (7) ___________________ the talks will be difficult. There may not be any early breakthroughs. The USA wants to re-engage with Iran and (8) ___________________ deal. A US negotiator said: "The primary issues to be discussed are actually quite simple. They are, on (9) ___________________, the nuclear steps that Iran would need to take to (10) ___________________ with the 2015 nuclear accord, and on the other hand, the sanctions-(11) ___________________ the United States would need to take." Iran will "reverse its remedial measures...taken because of the opposite side's (12) ___________________ treaty".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

IranandtheUSAwillsoontalktorestartthe2015Irannucleardeal.Discu
ssionswillbeindirect,withnoface-to-facemeetingsbetweenhigh-lev
elofficials.Europeanofficialswillactasintermediaries.Onthetablefordi
scussionistherevivalofthe2015pact.Inthatdeal,economicsanctionso
nIranwereeasedinreturnforIranstoppingitsnuclearprogram.Thispac
twasmeanttomakeitharderforIrantodevelopnuclearweapons.Itwas
abandonedbyDonaldTrump.OfficialsinTehranhavealwaysdeniedthe
yhavehadanyintentionstodevelopnuclearweapons.Negotiatorsonbo
thsidessaythetalkswillbedifficult.Theremaynotbeanyearlybreakthro
ughs.TheUSAwantstore-engagewithIranandrevivethenuclearde
al.AUSnegotiatorsaid:"Theprimaryissuestobediscussedareactually
quitesimple.Theyare,ontheonehand,thenuclearstepsthatIranwould
needtotaketoreturntocompliancewiththe2015nuclearaccord,andon
theotherhand,thesanctions-reliefstepsthattheUnitedStateswoul
dneedtotake."Iranwill"reverseitsremedialmeasures...takenbecause
oftheoppositeside'sviolationofthetreaty".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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