2007年VOA标准英语-White House ‘Disappointed’ Iran is Limiting IAE

By Leta Hong Fincher
Washington
27 March 2007
 
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The White House says it is disappointed by Iran's decision to limit cooperation with the United Nations nuclear agency. Russia and China are also urging Iran to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions. Meanwhile, Iran is interrogating¹ 15 British navy personnel it detained Friday. Leta Hong Fincher has more on the dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says the Iranian government is "turning a blind eye" to its United Nations obligations. "The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to send a strong message to Iran to stop isolating² their country and their people, to suspend their program and to come to the table. It was very good to see that the international community was so strongly united and we would urge the Iranians to stop and think before going down the road of noncompliance."

The U.N. Security Council voted Saturday to impose tougher sanctions on Iran over its failure to suspend uranium enrichment. Iran has rejected the sanctions and said it will restrict its cooperation with the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency.

In Moscow Monday, the presidents of Russia and China urged Iran to comply with Security Council resolutions.  However, Vladimir Putin and Hu Jintao said in a joint³ statement the nuclear dispute should be solved through peaceful means – and expressed their willingness to search for a comprehensive and long-term solution.

Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and the West have deepened over Tehran's detention⁴ of 15 British sailors and marines in a disputed waterway Friday.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has demanded the immediate⁵ release of the navy personnel. "They [the Iranian government] should not be under any doubt at all about how seriously we regard this act, which was unjustified and wrong."

Iran said Monday it is interrogating the naval⁶ personnel to see if they intentionally⁷ entered Iranian territory. Britain insists its personnel were in Iraqi waters when they were detained.

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, says it is "no accident" that the detention took place just a day before the U.N. imposed new sanctions on Iran. "The fact that this hostage taking took place now clearly indicates a conscious decision by the revolutionary corps⁸ in Tehran to seize these, perhaps as bargaining chips in the larger confrontation⁹."

The United States and its allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons.  Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only

1 interrogating   

n.询问技术v.询问( interrogate的现在分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• She was no longer interrogating but lecturing. 她已经不是在审问而是在教训人了。 来自辞典例句
• His face remained blank, interrogating, slightly helpless. 他的面部仍然没有表情，只带有询问的意思，还有点无可奈何。 来自辞典例句

2 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

7 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

8 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

9 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。