US and Iran to sign peace deal: BBC Learning English from the News

0:00 From BBC Learning English, this is Learning English from the News,

0:04 our podcast about the news headlines.

0:07 In this programme, Iran and US peace deal.

0:14 Hello, I'm Pippa.

0:15 And I'm Phil.

0:16 In this programme, we look at one big news story

0:19 and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

0:23 You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode,

0:26 as well as a worksheet, on our website.

0:31 bbclearningenglish.com.

0:32 So, let's hear more about this story.

0:39 The US and Iran have agreed an initial

0:42 deal to end the war between their two countries.

0:45 The agreement is due to be signed by the end of this week.

0:49 It's not expected to contain many details,

0:51 but will be an agreement for 60 days of further negotiations on topics

0:56 such as Iran's nuclear weapons programme

0:59 and opening the Strait of Hormuz to ships.

1:02 During the conflict, over 3,000 people have been killed in Iran alone,

1:06 global oil prices have risen dramatically,

1:09 while the Iranian government has stayed in place.

1:12 Let's have our first headline.

1:14 This is from CNN, an American news channel.

1:17 What was it all for?

1:19 US-iran agreement brings bitter rivals full circle.

1:23 That headline again from CNN.

1:25 What was it all for?

1:28 US-Iran agreement brings bitter rivals full circle.

1:33 This article highlights the similarities between

1:35 the situation now and how things

1:37 were in April 2025 when President Trump proposed nuclear negotiations with Iran.

1:42 We're going to look at the expression full circle.

1:46 This is a metaphorical use of circle.

1:49 Picture a circle.

1:50 If you travel the full distance around the circle,

1:53 you end up back where you started.

1:56 We use this expression to talk about travelling a long way or doing

1:59 many things just to end up in the same situation as before.

2:04 It's often used to express frustration at a lack

2:07 of progress or surprise at what's happened.

2:10 For example, say you had a problem– you spent lots of money fixing your car.

2:15 It was OK for a bit but then it started having the same problem.

2:19 You could say that it's come full circle.

2:23 But full circle is not always negative.

2:25 For example, if you used to study English and now you teach others,

2:30 you could say that you've come full circle.

2:33 The idea in the headline is that after all the military action of recent months,

2:38 the US and Iran have been brought back to a similar situation to before.

2:42 They've come full circle.

2:48 We've had full circle, come back to a similar situation.

2:55 For example, she's come full circle by managing the team she used to play for.

3:05 This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

3:10 Today we're talking about the proposed peace deal between the US and Iran.

3:15 When talking about what might be in the deal,

3:18 US President Donald Trump has said that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.

3:22 Vice President JD Vance has said that Iran

3:25 will not get a cent of American money.

3:28 Meanwhile, Iran has said that as a result of the deal,

3:31 Israel will have to remove its troops from Lebanon.

3:34 Israel has insisted that they will not do this.

3:38 This leads us to our next headline and this is from ABC News,

3:42 which is based in Australia.

3:44 The spin wars about who wins and loses in the US-iran ceasefire have begun.

3:50 That headline again from ABC, an Australian broadcaster.

3:52 The spin wars about who wins and loses in the US-Iran 'ceasefire' have begun.

3:59 This headline is about the contrasting statements given by Iran and the US.

4:03 We're interested in the word spin.

4:07 This is another metaphor.

4:08 Spin literally means rotate,

4:10 but we use it metaphorically to talk about how information is presented.

4:15 Think about sports that use a ball– cricket, football, tennis.

4:20 If you throw, kick or hit a ball in a way that makes it spin.

4:24 It doesn't move in a straight line.

4:26 You make it go to one side.

4:29 Politicians, advertisers and news organisations often put

4:32 a spin on the information they give out.

4:35 They say it in a way that can influence you to think in a particular way.

4:40 If something is given a positive spin, it's reported as if it's good news.

4:45 If something is given a negative spin, it's reported as if it's bad news.

4:50 Now, we've been using it as a noun, but it can also be a verb.

4:54 The article says that both the US and Iran are trying to spin

4:58 the news to say that they are the winners from the deal.

5:05 We've had spin, present information in a way to influence how people think.

5:13 For example, the news website gave a positive

5:16 spin to the government's latest press release.

5:23 This is Learning English from the News from BBC Learning English.

5:27 We're talking about the peace deal between the US and Iran.

5:31 The deal aims to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping.

5:35 This is an important route for global trade.

5:38 However, critics of President Trump have suggested

5:40 that this deal represents a failure for his strategy.

5:45 The US have not been able to change the Iranian government,

5:48 destroy the Iranian nuclear programme or prevent

5:51 Iran from launching missile strikes on US allies.

5:55 There has also been criticism in Iran where some have

5:59 suggested the deal is better for the US than for Iran.

6:03 President Trump has said in a Truth Social post

6:05 that the deal "will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region".

6:10 Let's have our next headline.

6:12 This is from Sky News.

6:14 Iran deal is tacit admission of strategic defeat by Trump administration.

6:20 And that headline again from Sky News.

6:22 Iran deal is tacit admission of strategic defeat by Trump administration.

6:28 The writer of this article is saying

6:30 that Trump's strategy in Iran has not been successful.

6:33 Remember, this is the opinion of the writer.

6:36 The word that we're going to learn is tacit.

6:40 Something that is tacit is not said directly,

6:43 but people understand that it's true.

6:46 For example, if someone pays a lot of money for a business

6:49 and then sells it six months later for less money,

6:52 it could be a tacit expression of failure.

6:55 It's tacit because they didn't say that they'd failed,

6:58 but anyone could see that it was a failure because they lost money.

7:02 The headline is saying that by signing this deal with the Iranian government,

7:06 the Trump administration is showing that they

7:08 have failed to achieve their goals in Iran.

7:11 It's a tacit admission because the US

7:13 government probably wouldn't say this explicitly,

7:16 according to the headline writer.

7:18 We can use tacit in more everyday situations.

7:21 You might have tacit agreements or understandings with the people you live with.

7:26 Maybe you take it in turns to buy food without

7:29 ever actually having said that's what you're going to do.

7:34 We've had tacit, understood without being said.

7:40 For example, everyone at the party had

7:42 a tacit understanding of what they should wear.

7:46 That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.

7:49 We'll be back next week with another news story.

7:52 To keep up to date with our latest programmes, subscribe to our newsletter.

7:57 There's a link in the notes below this programme.

7:59 Bye for now.

8:00 Goodbye.