2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Administration Says No Plans to Attack Ira

By Michael Bowman
Washington
18 February 2007

The Bush administration is reiterating¹ that it has no plans to go to war with Iran, despite concerns over Iranian weapons filtering into neighboring Iraq as well as the country's continued nuclear program in defiance² of the United Nations. From Washington, VOA's Michael Bowman reports.

 
A U.S. Army officer with evidence gathered by U.S. military on Iran's support to militant³ Iraqis fighting American forces in Iraq, 14 Feb 2007
The United States has long accused Iran of supporting militants⁴ in the Middle East, from Palestinian fighters to Iraqi Shiites. Last week, the Untied⁵ States displayed weapons found in Iraq allegedly provided by Iran, but admitted it is not clear whether Iran's top leaders specifically ordered such shipments.

Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press television program, White House spokesman Tony Snow said the Bush administration is determined⁸ to stop the flow of arms into Iraq that can be used against U.S. troops.

"We are going to do everything we can to intercept⁹ weapons that are making their way into the country," said Tpny Snow. "We are going to intercept them on the roads; we are going to intercept them in Baghdad. We will do everything we can to defend our people [in Iraq]."

Snow was asked if that meant that the administration is considering a military option for dealing¹⁰ with Iran.

 
Tony Snow 
"No," he said. "We are not planning to go across the border [into Iran]. But the president also is not going to rule out any alternatives. But for those who think we are beating the war drums, no [no plans to invade Iran]."

That assertion was repeated by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, one of President Bush's chief Republican allies in Congress. The senator spoke⁷ on CNN's Late Edition program.

"You are talking about Iranians inside Iraq trying to hurt American soldiers," said Mitch McConnell. "Of course we are going to deal with them. [But] that is an entirely¹¹ different issue from whether anybody is even suggesting the notion of going to war with Iran."

Iran has denied it is attempting to stoke sectarian strife¹² in Iraq by arming the country's Shiite militants against minority Sunni fighters - or against U.S. troops. Tehran has said it supports Iraq's government, but opposes U.S. military presence in the country.

U.S. concerns over Iran extend beyond alleged⁶ arms shipments to Iraq and elsewhere in the region. Iran remains¹³ defiant¹⁴ regarding United Nations demands that it halt its nuclear program, which Tehran insists is for peaceful purposes, but which the international community suspects may be designed to produce atomic weapons.

Iran's foreign ministry¹⁵ says the government will not agree to suspend uranium enrichment as demanded by the U.N. Security Council, despite U.N, sanctions imposed late last year barring the transfer of nuclear materials and technology to the Islamic republic. Iran faces a U.N.-imposed deadline Wednesday for halting enrichment activities.

Senator McConnell noted¹⁶ that multilateral negotiations¹⁷ have yielded a preliminary accord with North Korea over its nuclear program, and that similar diplomatic efforts will be pursued with Iran.

1 reiterating   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He keeps reiterating his innocence. 他一再申明他无罪。
• The Chinese government also sent a note to the British government, reiterating its position. 中国政府同时将此立场照会英国政府。

2 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。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

5 untied   

松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决

参考例句：

• Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来，我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
• He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。

6 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

7 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。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 intercept   

vt.拦截，截住，截击

参考例句：

• His letter was intercepted by the Secret Service.他的信被特工处截获了。
• Gunmen intercepted him on his way to the airport.持枪歹徒在他去机场的路上截击了他。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

12 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

15 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

16 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

17 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。