2007年VOA标准英语-Iran Announces Progress in Nuclear Program

By Gary Thomas
Washington
09 April 2007

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to the media at a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, 04 Apr 2007

Iran says it has enhanced its capability¹ to enrich uranium. The announcement sparked quick condemnation² from the United States and Europe. But, as VOA Correspondent Gary Thomas reports from Washington, it is not clear just how significant a step it is.

With an atomic symbol superimposed over an Iranian flag as his backdrop, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Iran is capable of enriching uranium on, what he termed, an industrial-level.

But in his announcement, made at the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran, he did not define "industrial-level."

Matthew Bunn, senior researcher at the Managing the Atom Project at Harvard University, says although the statement was vague, the announcement was a clear snub to the U.N. Security Council, which has demanded Iran halt uranium enrichment."

"It is a clear statement of resistance to the Security Council legal requirement that Iran suspend all enrichment activities," he said. "It is a clear statement that they are not going to do that, they are going to move ahead at full speed. What we do not know is how far they have come and how fast they will move forward from here."

The announcement brought swift condemnation from the United States and its European allies. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called it a lost opportunity for Iran to halt its nuclear work and enter negotiations³. He said Iran has a credibility problem.

"The problem is with the behavior of the Iranian regime in answering the international system's legitimate⁴ questions about its nuclear program," said McCormack. "And quite frankly⁵, we have gotten to the point, now, in the international community where the members of that international community, including the Security Council and the IAEA board of governors do not believe Iranian assurances that their program is peaceful in nature."

The Security Council has imposed limited sanctions on Iran for its nuclear activity. The Security Council and Germany believe Iran is determined⁶ to acquire a nuclear weapons capability. Iran denies the charge, saying it is only working to build peaceful nuclear energy for power generation.

Iran has announced a goal of installing 3,000 centrifuges at the Natanz plant. The centrifuges spin at supersonic speed to enrich fuel for nuclear reactors⁷. If Iran has 3,000 operating centrifuges, analysts⁹ say it would be a significant step towards building a nuclear bomb.

But Paul Kerr, an analyst⁸ at the Arms Control Association, says there is reason to believe Iran's claims of nuclear prowess are exaggerated. He says Iran is believed to currently have only 1,000 operational centrifuges.

"I would say the diplomatic consequences of this are clearer than the technical consequences. And we are just going to have to wait to get some more detail both from the IAEA and from the Iranians," said Kerr. "I think some of their officials, at least in the past, have provided some details about what is going on. So we are really just going to have to wait."

The IAEA, or International Atomic Energy Agency, is due to deliver another report on Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council in late May.

1 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。

2 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

3 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。

4 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

5 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

6 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。

7 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。