2007年VOA标准英语-US Says More Pressure Needed to Stop Iran Nukes

By Jim Teeple
Jerusalem
22 January 2007

A senior U.S. diplomat¹ says the international community needs to bring more pressure on Iran to end, what he describes as, its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Jim Teeple has details from our Jerusalem bureau.

Nicholas Burns speaks at Herzliya conference in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, 21 Jan 2007

Speaking at an international conference on security issues in the Israeli city of Herziliya, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicolas Burns says recent sanctions passed by the U.N. Security council on Iran are just the first step in what he says will be a broad international effort to get Iran to stop developing nuclear weapons.

"And so Iran is going to have to suffer the consequences of being an international pariah² because of the Security Council sanctions," he said. "But my country does not believe we should stop there. We believe that greater pressure should be brought upon the Iranians to convince them to recalculate how they think about their nuclear program and just how valuable it is to them."

Burns says the U.S. is encouraging Russia and China not sell weapons to Iran. He says the United States is also encouraging the European Union to suspend export credits to Iran and working with international banking³ institutions to stop lending to Iranian state institutions, which he says are used by the Iranian government as front companies to fund terrorism.

The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran last month for its refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment and missile programs, offering to help Iran develop a civilian⁴ nuclear power capability⁵ if it does so. The United States and the European Union say Iran is developing a nuclear-weapons program, something Iranian officials deny.

The Security Council has set a February 21 deadline for Iran to comply with its demands or face the possibility of further sanctions.

Burns says with their support for Hezbollah in last year's conflict with Israel, and through their nuclear research program, Iranian officials have come to believe they are in the ascendancy⁶ in the Middle East. But he says that is now changing and Iran is on the defensive⁷.

"I think its defeat in the Security Council in December, and the prospect⁸ of further sanctions and the actions that my government has taken in Iraq over the past three weeks against them, the stationing of our carriers in the Persian Gulf⁹, and now to see that even Russia and China are voting against them, Iran is no longer on the offensive, it is on the defensive and we need to keep it on the defensive," added Burns.

U.S. authorities have acted against Iran recently, stationing two aircraft carrier battle groups in the Persian Gulf, and arresting several Iranians in Iraq who U.S. officials say were assisting attacks against U.S. troops.

Burns says the United States believes in diplomacy¹⁰ and is not seeking a confrontation¹¹ with Iran, but he says all options will remain open in the effort to get Iran to cooperate with the international community.

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 pariah   

n.被社会抛弃者

参考例句：

• Shortly Tom came upon the juvenile pariah of the village.不一会儿，汤姆碰上了村里的少年弃儿。
• His landlady had treated him like a dangerous criminal,a pariah.房东太太对待他就像对待危险的罪犯、对待社会弃儿一样。

3 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

6 ascendancy   

n.统治权，支配力量

参考例句：

• We have had ascendancy over the enemy in the battle.在战斗中我们已占有优势。
• The extremists are gaining ascendancy.极端分子正逐渐占据上风。

7 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

8 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

9 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

10 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

11 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。