Reading: Article 1: چرا سیدحسن نصرالله برای ایران و جهان مهم بود؟
(Why was Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah important to Iran and the world?)
Article 2: چرا ترور رهبران و فرماندهان، محور مقاومت را خاموش نمی‌سازد؟
(Why doesn't the assassination of leaders and commanders shut down the Axis of Resistance?)
The abovementioned articles from the official IRNA news agency discuss aspects of the recent assassinations in the Middle East – the significance of the figure of Hassan Nasrallah and the role he played as a key ally for Iran against threats from Israel and the US, and the structure of the Resistance Axis, which allows it to continue its activities even after the assassination of its leaders.
Listening: Here follows the first interview with Seyyed Abbas Araghchi as Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs, in which he emphasizes the key priorities of Iranian foreign policy under the new president, Masoud Pezeshkian (August 2024).
As an additional listening material, the students can get familiar to a controversial audio recording from September 2024 in which the current president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, claims that Iran is ready to disarm if Israel does the same. (For more context, see the following article from Iran International).
Subject of Conversation: The impact of Ismail Haniyeh’s and Hasan Nasrallah’s assassinations on the on the political situation in the Middle East (تأثیر ترور اسماعیل هنیه و حسن نصرالله بر اوضاع سیاسی در خاورمیانه)
During the conversation, students will discuss the military and political consequences of the assassinations of Ismail Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah. The discussion will focus on how such events shift power dynamics, influence Iran’s regional strategy, and affect the broader balance of power in the Middle East. Students will also practice using key political and military terminology relevant to the discourse surrounding regional conflicts.
Homework:
- Please carefully read the text of the article of the day as specified by the instructor and study the vocabulary.
- Watch the full interview with Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, available in the Listening section. Then a. Locate the part where he references Qasem Soleimani, identify the specific expression he cites, and explain it in Persian (approximately 100 words). b. Highlight the main message regarding Iran’s Middle Eastern policy and its interconnection to relations with the U.S. (100-200 words, in Persian).
- Do some background research on tomorrow’s topic and related vocabulary to prepare for the discussion.
Vocabulary (Article 1):
| Persian Word | Transcription | English Translation |
| مشخص شدن | mošaxxas šodan | to be specified, to become clear |
| ضاحیه | zāhiye | suburb |
| شایعه | šāye’e | rumor, report |
| شهادت | šahādat | martyrdom |
| مطرح شدن | matrah šodan | to be brought up |
| دغدغه | daƴdaƴe | confusion, dismay, fear |
| مربوط به | marbut be | related to |
| ابعاد (مفرد: بعد) | ab’ād (sing. bo’d) | dimensions |
| سطح (جمع: سطوح) | sath | level |
| اسطوره | osture | legend |
| سردار | sardār | general |
| فرمانده | farmānde | commander |
| جبهه | jebhe | front |
| به شمار رفتن | be šomār raftan | to be considered |
| حمله (جمع: حملات) | hamle (plur. hamalāt) | attack |
| ترور شدن | teror šodan | to be assassinated |
| دبیرکل | dabirkol | secretary general |
| هدف قرار گرفتن | hadaf qarār dādan | to target |
| به شهادت رسیدن | be šahādat resāndan | to kill (a martyr); lit. to make sb attain martyrdom |
| مقتدر | moqtader | mighty, powerful |
| متواضع | motavāze’ | humble |
| متخلق | motexalleq | dedicated; endowed with |
| شناسانده شدن | šenāsānde šodan | to be made known (lit), to be recognized |
| تشییع | tašyi’ | escorting (a funeral) |
| ناشی از | nāši az | arising, resulting, coming from |
| مقام | maqām | official |
| مجاهدت | mojāhedat | endeavour, struggle |
| حزب (جمع: احزاب) | hezb (plur. ahzāb) | party (political) |
| سمت | semat | office, post |
| بر عهده داشتن | bar ohde dāštan | to be in charge of |
| تحقیر شدن | tahqir šodan | to be humiliated |
| چشاندن | češāndan | to make to taste |
| علاوه بر | ‘alāve bar | in addition to, besides |
| عقب‌نشینی | ‘aqab-nešini | retreat, withdrawal |
| تحرکات (مفرد: تحرک) | taharrokāt (sing. taharrok) | movements, activities |
| معاوضه | mo‘āveze | exchange, swap (esp. of bodies/prisoners) |
| جنازه | jenāze | corpse |
| مقاطع (مفرد: مقطع) | maqāte‘ (sing. maqta‘) | stages, periods |
Vocabulary (Araghchi’s Interview):
| Persian Word | Transcription | English Translation |
| تقدیم کردن | taqdim kardan | to present, to offer |
| تعامل | ta‘āmol | interaction, engagement |
| سازنده | sāzande | constructive |
| مؤثر | mo’asser | effective |
| مبتنی بر | mobtani bar | based on |
| نقشه راه | naqše-ye rāh | roadmap |
| برشمردن | baršomordan | to name, to give in detail, to enumerate |
| کنشگری | konešgari | engaged action, activism |
| دیپلماسی عمومی | diplomasi-ye ‘omumi | public diplomacy |
| رویکرد | ruykard | approach |
| اقتصادمحور | eqtesādmehvar | economy-centered |
| مفتخر بودن | moftaxar budan | to be honored |
| میزبان بودن | mizbān budan | to host |
| مقدمتاً | moqaddamatan | first of all, initially |
| مصادیق (مفرد: مصداق) | masādiq (sing. masdāq) | instances, examples |
| به نوعی | be no‘i | in a way |
| تناسب | tanāsob | correspondence, suitability |
| استمرار | estemrār | continuity, persistence |
| تغییر‌ناپذیر | taγyirnāpazir | unchangeable, immutable |
| ممزوج شدن | mamzuj šodan | to be mixed |
| ابتکار | ebtekār | initiative |
| ایجاد | ijād | creation, establishment |
| در جهت | dar jahat-e | in the direction of |
| تا حد | tā hadd-e | up to a level, up to a point |
| ریشه گرفتن | riše gereftan | to take root |
| نشئت گرفتن | naš’at gereftan | to originate |
| تنفیذ | tanfiz | implementation |
| در رابطه | dar rābete-ye | in relation to |
| ترسیم فرمودن | tarsim farmudan | to outline (honorific) |
| به اصطلاح | be estelāh | so-called |
| در راستای | dar rāstā-ye | in direction of, toward |
| مورد نقد قرار گرفتن | moured-e naqd qarār gereftan | to be criticized |
| امنیت ملی | amniyyat-e meli | national security |
| فراگیر | farāgir | comprehensive |
| اثرگذار | asargozār | influential |
| میدان | meydān | field, arena |
| قطعاً | qat‘an | definitely |
| منحصر شدن | monhaser šodan | to be limited, to be restricted |
| در بر گرفتن | dar bar gereftan | to encompass |
| اولویت | oulaviyyat | priority |
| منفعل | monfa‘el | passive |
| ایفا کردن | ifā kardan | to play (a role), to perform |
| مواضع (مفرد: موضع) | mavāze‘ (sing. mouze‘) | positions |
| نظاره‌گر | nazāregar | observer |
| حل و فصل شدن | hall o fasl šodan | to be resolved |
| فرامنطقه‌ای | farāmantaqe’i | transregional |
| نظم نوین | nazm-e novin | new order |
| مجامع (مفرد: مجمع) | majāme‘ (sing. majma‘) | assemblies, forums |
| اکتفاء کردن | ektefā' kardan | to suffice, to be content with |
| یک سری | yek seri | a series of, some |