VOA常速英语2007年-Bush Calls for Continued Pressure on Iran

By Paula Wolfson
White House
04 December 2007
 

President Bush says there will be no change in U.S. policy on Iran following the release of a new U.S. intelligence assessment¹ of Tehran's nuclear capabilities² and ambitions. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House, Mr. Bush says the world must continue to keep the pressure on Tehran.

The president called a press conference at the White House to specifically address the new intelligence report on Iran that was released on Monday.

According to the report, the U.S. intelligence community now believes Iran halted a secret nuclear weapons program in 2003, and had not resumed work as of mid-2007.

President Bush told reporters the new National Intelligence Estimate does nothing to shake his belief that the international community must be vigilant³ when it comes to Iran's nuclear intentions.

"Iran was dangerous," he said. "Iran is dangerous. And Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon."

Iran has never acknowledged the existence of a nuclear weapons program. The president said the intelligence community report shows Tehran secretly tried to circumvent⁴ the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and is attempting to enrich uranium today in defiance⁵ of international calls to suspend.

"And so I view this report as a warning signal," said President Bush. "They had the program, they halted the program. And the reason why it is a warning signal is they can restart it and the thing that would make a restarted program effective and dangerous is the ability to enrich uranium, the knowledge of which can be passed on to a hidden program."

The president stressed that Iran halted its nuclear development program in 2003 at about the same time Germany, France, and Britain launched an effort to resolve the dispute over Tehran's nuclear intentions through diplomatic means.

Mr. Bush said the fact that Iran suspended the program shows that Tehran does respond to international pressure. He said pressure is more important now that ever.

"This report is not [saying], okay, everybody needs to relax and quit," he said. "This is a report that says what has happened in the past can be repeated, that the policies used to get the regime to halt are effective policies, let's keep them up, let's continue to work together."

The president said the most effective diplomacy⁶ is one in which all options are on the table, implying he would not rule out the military option.

Congressional critics of the administration's Iran policy welcomed the intelligence findings on Iran and urged the White House to tone down its rhetoric⁷..

Illinois Congressman⁸ Rahm Emmanuel spoke⁹ for Democrats¹¹ in the House of Representatives.

"We now have the NIE report on Iran, and we can abandon a policy based on hype and fear and go to a policy that is clear-eyed and hard-headed as it relates to Iran," he said.

In a written statement, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee - Democrat¹⁰ Tom Lantos of California - struck a similar chord. He said the White House needs to engage in more diplomacy on Iran and less saber-rattling.

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

2 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

4 circumvent   

vt.环绕，包围；对…用计取胜，智胜

参考例句：

• Military planners tried to circumvent the treaty.军事策略家们企图绕开这一条约。
• Any action I took to circumvent his scheme was justified.我为斗赢他的如意算盘而采取的任何行动都是正当的。

5 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

6 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。

7 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

11 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》