The Wall Street Journal
WSJ:
What’s News
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
3/13/2026 5:59:00 AMShare This Episode
Four U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq Plane Crash
A.M. Edition for Mar. 13. The U.S. military confirms that four U.S. servicemembers were killed yesterday when a refueling plane crashed in Iraq. The deaths mark the first U.S. Air Force losses since the start of the war. Plus, TikTok parent company ByteDance secures access to top Nvidia chips in its bid to compete with the world’s most popular AI apps. And WSJ’s Jennifer Williams explains how U.S. employers plan to cope with the biggest annual jump in
• troop /truːp/ 兵士
• servicemember /sɜːrvɪs ˌmɛmbər/ 軍人（性別を問わない言い方）
• refueling plane /riːfjuːəlɪŋ pleɪn/ 空中給油機
• crash /kræʃ/ 墜落する
• mark /mɑːrk/ ～を示す・～を意味する
• loss /lɔːs/ 損失・死者
• parent company /pɛrənt ˌkʌmpəni/ 親会社
• secure access to /sɪkjʊr ˈæksɛs tu/ ～へのアクセスを確保する
• chip /tʃɪp/ 半導体チップ
• bid to /bɪd tu/ ～しようとする試み
• compete with /kəmpiːt wɪð/ ～と競争する
• employer /ɪmplɔɪər/ 雇用主
• cope with /koʊp wɪð/ ～に対処する
• annual jump /ˈænjuəl ʤʌmp/ 年間での急増
• wages /weɪʤɪz/ 賃金
mark the first ～
「～という節目を示す」「～を意味する」という意味で、ニュース記事で非常に頻出。
例：This marks the first time ～（これが初めての～となる）
in its bid to ～
「～しようとする試みの中で」「～を目指して」という意味のニュース表現。企業戦略・外交・政治記事でよく使われる。
plan to cope with ～
「～に対処する計画だ」。cope with は「困難・問題に対処する」という意味で、経済ニュースや社会問題の記事で頻出。
What’s News
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2026
3/12/2026 4:49:00 PMShare This Episode
Oil Jumps to $100 a Barrel, Stocks Sink as Hormuz Crisis Deepens
P.M. Edition for Mar. 12. The economic risks of the war in Iran are getting real on Wall Street. Brent crude jumped above $100 a barrel and U.S. stocks sold off. Plus, the tie-up in the Strait of Hormuz is rippling across the global economy, and that includes sending the price of fertilizer skyrocketing. We hear from Journal agriculture reporter Patrick Thomas about what this means for U.S. farmers going into the spring planting season. And employees of medical-technology company Stryker woke up yesterday to find that their devices had been disabled due to a cyberattack. James Rundle, who covers cybersecurity for WSJ Pro, discusses how the war in the Middle East is playing out in the world of hackers. Alex Ossola hosts.
• crude oil /kruːd ɔɪl/ 原油
• barrel /bærəl/ （原油の単位）バレル
• stock /stɑːk/ 株式
• sink /sɪŋk/ 下落する
• Brent crude /brɛnt kruːd/ ブレント原油（国際指標原油）
• sell off /sɛl ɔːf/ 売りが広がる・急落する
• tie-up /taɪ ʌp/ 混乱・停滞
• Strait /streɪt/ 海峡
• ripple across /rɪpəl əkrɔːs/ ～全体に波及する
• fertilizer /fɜːrtəlàɪzər/ 肥料
• skyrocket /skaɪrɑːkɪt/ 急騰する
• planting season /plæntɪŋ siːzən/ 作付けシーズン
• device /dɪvaɪs/ 機器・装置
• disable /dɪseɪbəl/ 無効化する
• cyberattack /saɪbər ətæk/ サイバー攻撃
• cybersecurity /saɪbər sɪkjʊrɪti/ サイバーセキュリティ
• play out /pleɪ aʊt/ 展開する
getting real
「現実味を帯びてくる」「現実の問題になる」という口語的表現。ニュースでは “risks are getting real” のように、潜在的だった問題が実際の影響として現れ始めたことを示す。
stocks sold off
sell off は市場でよく使われる句動詞で「投資家の売りが広がって価格が下がる」という意味。
例：The market sold off sharply.
tie-up in the Strait of Hormuz
tie-up は「交通・物流などの混乱、停滞」。海運や輸送のニュースでよく使われる表現。
rippling across the global economy
ripple は「波紋が広がる」。経済ニュースで、ある出来事の影響が世界経済へ徐々に広がる様子を表す比喩表現。
sending the price of fertilizer skyrocketing
send + 目的語 + -ing で「～を…させる」。
例：The news sent stocks tumbling.
今回の文では「肥料価格を急騰させている」。
woke up to find that ～
「目覚めると～だと分かった」というニュース表現。突然の出来事や被害を説明するときによく使われる。
play out
出来事や状況が「どのように展開するか」を説明するときの頻出表現。
例：We will see how this plays out.
Alex Ossola: Iran's new supreme leader issues his first official message, but continues to stay out of public view. Plus, the war in the Middle East isn't just disrupting the oil market. It's also driving up prices for things like flights and fertilizer. And hackers hit an American medical devices company called Stryker, saying that they were retaliating on behalf of Iran.
James Rundle: The attack on Stryker stands out because it's one of the first visible examples of a successful disruption outside of the immediate region, and that suggests that the conflicts in the cyber dimension may be starting to spread more globally.
Alex Ossola: It's Thursday, March 12th. I'm Alex Ossola for the Wall Street Journal. This is the PM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that moved the world today.
Mojtaba Khamenei made his first public remarks since succeeding his father to become Iran's supreme leader. In a written statement that appeared in Iranian state media today, Khamenei said Iran would open new fronts in the war, promised to attack US bases in the Middle East, and to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed. Khamenei hasn't been seen in public since the start of the war, which has fueled speculation about his physical wellbeing. In the Gulf, the US said it has ramped up its attacks on Iranian mine-laying boats, as well as mine facilities. It's trying to preempt efforts by Iran to put mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which could disrupt the global economy. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the US Navy will begin military escorts in the Strait of Hormuz later. Here he is speaking on CNBC this morning.
make remarks は「発言する」というニュース表現。
• open a front /ˈoʊpən ə frʌnt/ 戦線を開く
• wellbeing /wɛl-biːɪŋ/ 健康状態
• preempt /priːɛmpt/ 先手を打って防ぐ
preempt efforts は「相手の試みを未然に防ぐ」
Chris Wright: It'll happen relatively soon, but it can't happen now. We're simply not ready. All of our military assets right now are focused on destroying Iran's offensive capabilities.
Alex Ossola: Elsewhere in the Middle East, Hezbollah has fired shells towards Syrian military positions, sparking concern of a new warfront. Israel struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after the militia launched hundreds of rockets at the country overnight. And Kuwait said drones targeted its airport.
Brent Crude futures, the global benchmark oil price, settled above $100 a barrel today. Though oil futures surged above $100 in overnight trading on Sunday, today was the first time they closed above that mark in regular trading since August 2022. Hopes of quickly restoring the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz are dimming. More tankers were attacked in the waters around Iran, and President Trump said stopping the Iranian regime from getting nuclear weapons was a higher priority than oil prices. Brent futures have soared 65% this year.
And stocks fell on worries of a long conflict that will mean a lasting disruption to oil markets. The Dow fell more than 700 points, or 1.6%, the S&P fell 1.5%, and the NASDAQ closed down 1.8%.
We talked on this morning's show about the economic winners and losers of a conflict in the Middle East, and this evening, we're honing in one industry in particular, agriculture. Prices for fertilizer are surging, sending shares of the companies that make it soaring. And the farmers that need that fertilizer, they have some tough choices ahead for the spring planting season. Joining us now is Patrick Thomas, who covers agriculture for the Journal. Patrick, why is the Middle East important for the fertilizer industry?
• hone in on /hoʊn ɪn ɑːn/ ～に焦点を絞る
Patrick Thomas: So the Middle East is actually a massive producer of what's called nitrogen fertilizer. The plants are idled right now, so you're not having the fertilizer produced in plants in the Middle East, and then raw materials that would go into producing it maybe in Europe and elsewhere right now are not getting out as well. The raw materials all come through the Strait of Hormuz, and that is being blocked, that cannot get out, and that is causing big supply problems.
• nitrogen fertilizer /naɪtrədʒən fɜːrtɪlaɪzər/ 窒素肥料
you're not having the fertilizer produced
→ have + O + 過去分詞（使役）
go into producing ～＝「～の生産に使われる」。
are not getting out＝「外に出ていない」「輸出できていない」。
Alex Ossola: How has this been going over on Wall Street?
Patrick Thomas: Yeah. Investors are really betting that American companies, like Mosaic, which is based in Florida, CF Industries in Illinois, Nutrien, which is out of Canada, will be able to expand their profit margins, expand market share at a time of high prices. So you're seeing investors really send these shares of the companies surging in the last couple of days.
- which is out of Canada = 「カナダ拠点の」「カナダに本社・ベースがある」
out of はニュースやビジネス文脈で
「～を拠点として活動している」
「～から事業を展開している」
Alex Ossola: High prices for fertilizer makes me, of course, wonder how the farmers themselves are doing, because this is the crucial spring planting season. Farmers have been in a tough spot for the past few years. There have been lower prices because there were these bumper crops. And then, there was, of course, the impact of President Trump's tariffs. Now, as these fertilizer costs are also rising, what are these farmers doing about this?
- be in a tough spot＝「厳しい立場にある」
- bumper crop＝「予想以上の大豊作」。
- do about ～ /duː əbaʊt/ ～に対処する
Patrick Thomas: So this is a massive deal and might have an impact for quite some time. This could stretch into 2027. Prices are going through the roof, and there's concerns about if they'll even be able to get it if they bought it. From the Middle East, stuff's not coming out right now. So what they're doing is they're going to switch to soybeans, which require a lot less fertilizer than corn. So I was texting a farmer in North Dakota who has a lot of farmland, but he's got 150 acres that he's switching to soybeans, so not a big amount, but you're going to see that stretched across American agriculture. So probably less corn, which could have big implications for supply, and we were just coming out of a supply glut. Well, maybe this time next year, we're going to have pretty high corn prices. So we'll see how it turns out, but farmers, they're going to be stressed with higher costs. It's kind of hard right now to see how this will pencil out for the farmers' balance sheets.
• go through the roof /θruː ðə ruːf/ 急騰する
• come out /kʌm aʊt/ 出てくる・輸出される
• supply glut /səplaɪ ɡlʌt/ 供給過剰
• pencil out /pɛnsəl aʊt/ 採算が合う
Alex Ossola: That was Wall Street Journal reporter, Patrick Thomas. Thanks, Patrick.
Patrick Thomas: Thanks so much for having me.
Alex Ossola: Another industry where we're seeing prices rise, airlines. Average ticket prices were rising even before the conflict, and since it started, airfare increases have only accelerated. The rapid run-up in oil prices has created urgency for airlines to charge more. A new report from Deutsche Bank says the biggest price increases are on transatlantic and Caribbean routes, as well as some last-minute flights. The report said that of nine US carriers, Spirit Airlines had the biggest increase in fares for domestic flights that were three weeks away. A Spirit spokesman says the airline is seeing strong bookings for spring break.
- run-up in prices＝「価格の急騰」
- transatlantic /ˌtrænzətlæntɪk/ 大西洋横断の
- see strong bookings＝「予約が好調である」。
Coming up, what's happening on the cyber front of the Middle East conflict? That's after the break.
Yesterday, thousands of employees at medical technology company, Stryker, woke up to find that their cell phones and laptops didn't work. It was because of a major cyber attack, and the hackers said that they were retaliating on behalf of Iran. James Rundle covers cybersecurity for WSJ Pro, and is here to tell us more. James, we've talked a lot on the show recently about these attacks from drones and missiles and all of these physical elements of this conflict in the Middle East. Have we seen a lot of cyber attacks since it started, and what role have they played in the conflict so far?
James Rundle: We have. Cyber has effectively become a parallel front in the conflict, things like website defacements, denial of service attacks, data leaks, and attempts to disrupt companies or public services, and Stryker is a good example of that. The company said they saw no evidence of ransomware, which would normally suggest a criminal activity. In this case, it was fairly destructive. Phones were wiped, there were forced resets going through. So hitting something like Stryker, or any other big US company, just gives them bragging rights, effectively, at the end of the day, and it allows them to, as we saw with how quickly the story spread, shock the public. The attack on Stryker also stands out because it's one of the first visible examples of a successful disruption outside of the immediate region, and that suggests that the conflicts in the cyber dimension may be starting to spread more globally.
• parallel front /pærəˌlɛl frʌnt/ 並行する戦線
• defacement /dɪfeɪsmənt/ （サイトの）改ざん
• denial of service attack /dɪnaɪəl əv sɜːrvɪs/ サービス拒否攻撃（DoS）
phones were wiped＝「電話データが消去された」。
• bragging rights /bræɡɪŋ raɪts/ 自慢できる実績 ＝「誇示できる成果」
• cyber dimension /saɪbər daɪmɛnʃən/ サイバー領域
• be on the receiving end /rɪsiːvɪŋ ɛnd/ 攻撃を受ける側である
Alex Ossola: So who exactly is doing the attacking and who is on the receiving end of these attacks?
James Rundle: So there are already three layers of actors involved. There's the state-linked operators, particularly groups who are associated with Iran's intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard. Second, there are proxy or aligned hacktivist groups. So those are groups that publicly frame their attacks as political activism, but may be operating with some level of state backing. It ties into Iran's general strategy of force projection. It has a lot of proxy groups in the Middle East, so it has Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas. The similar approach is taken in cyber as well. And then, third, there are independent hacktivists trying to participate in the conflict digitally or ideologically. The targets have been largely regional so far, so Israeli government agencies, companies, infrastructure providers. But we're now starting to see, as with Stryker, some activities spill outwards, including attacks on Western companies, who are either targets of opportunity or might be perceived as being connected to the conflict. It hasn't been entirely one-sided as well. US and Israeli cyber operations are believed to have degraded Iran's cyber capability before it started, and some policymakers say that explains why the retaliation hasn't been as severe as some experts feared.
- layers of actors＝「関与主体の層」。
- proxy group＝「代理勢力」。
- force projection＝「軍事力・影響力を外部に展開する戦略」。
- • target of opportunity /tɑːrgɪt əv ɑːpərtuːnɪti/ 偶然見つかった標的
- • degrade /dɪɡreɪd/ 弱体化させる
Alex Ossola: That was WSJ Pro reporter, James Rundle. James also hosts the Risk Journal Podcast, a show on risk and emerging global threats. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts.
The US trade deficit fell 25% in January to $54.5 billion, continuing a volatile run for America's trade balance. Exports grew by 5.5%, with sales of gold to overseas buyers driving the gain. As for imports, those slipped 0.7%, mostly because the US bought fewer pharmaceuticals from abroad.
And speaking of international trade, retailers are facing a new repercussion from Trump's tariffs. A Costco shopper is suing, saying Costco owes its customers tariff refunds. The suit says Costco raised prices because of the tariffs, and now that the Supreme Court has struck down some tariffs, that Costco should refund shoppers. The lawsuit is seeking class action status. A Costco spokesman declined to comment, but the company has said that if Costco itself gets tariff refunds, it will try to return value to its members through lower prices and better values.
• repercussion /riːpərkʌʃən/ 余波・影響
• owe /oʊ/ ～する義務がある
• strike down /straɪk daʊn/ （法律などを）無効にする
And Honda expects a hit of up to $15.7 billion as it retrenches on electric vehicles. Honda's decided to cancel the launches and development of certain models. As a result of these changes, Honda expects to swing to its first annual loss since the company started reporting its consolidated results in 1977. Honda's not alone here. Other car makers are also pulling back on EVs. Many Americans are still reluctant to buy them.
• expect a hit /ɪkspɛkt ə hɪt/ 打撃を受けると予想する
• retrench /rɪtrɛntʃ/ 事業を縮小する
And that's What's News for this Thursday afternoon. Today's show was produced by Pierre Bienaimé, with supervising producer, Tali Arbel. I'm Alex Ossola for the Wall Street Journal. We'll be back with a new show tomorrow morning. Thanks for listening.
WSJ: 20260313
How the Iran War Unraveled the Gulf’s Image as a Luxurious Safe Haven
Missiles and drones have punctured the notion that financial clout and luxury can act as impenetrable shields.
• unravel /ʌnˈrævəl/ 崩れる、ほころびる
• luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊriəs/ 豪華な
• safe haven /seɪf ˈheɪvən/ 安全な避難先
• missile /ˈmɪsəl/ ミサイル
• drone /droʊn/ 無人機
• puncture /ˈpʌŋkʧər/ 打ち破る
• notion /ˈnoʊʃən/ 考え、概念
• financial clout /faɪˈnænʃəl klaʊt/ 財力・影響力
• impenetrable /ɪmˈpenɪtrəbəl/ 突破できない
• shield /ʃiːld/ 防御手段
• clout /klaʊt/ 影響力、権力、発言力
how ～ unraveled は「どのように崩れたのか」を説明する分析記事のタイトル構造。
the notion that ～ は「～という考え」という同格の that。
act as ～ は「～として機能する」という意味の動詞表現。
Oil Markets Brace for Lasting Turmoil in the Gulf
Some traders initially expecteddays of disorder. Analysts are now forecasting longer-lasting upheaval—and higher crude prices.
• brace for /breɪs fɔːr/ ～に備える
• turmoil /ˈtɝːmɔɪl/ 混乱
• trader /ˈtreɪdər/ 市場取引者
• initially /ɪˈnɪʃəli/ 当初は
• disorder /dɪsˈɔːrdər/ 混乱
• analyst /ˈænəlɪst/ アナリスト
• forecast /ˈfɔːrkæst/ 予測する
• upheaval /ʌpˈhiːvəl/ 大きな混乱
• crude prices /kruːd ˈpraɪsɪz/ 原油価格
days of disorder は 期間＋of＋状態 の構造で、「数日間の混乱」を意味する。
brace for ～ は「悪い事態に備える」というニュース頻出表現。
longer-lasting は複合形容詞で「より長期的な」。
ダッシュ（—）は「追加説明・強調」を示す。