VOA标准英语2009-Iran's Supreme Leader: Nation Will Not Yield

Iran's Supreme¹ Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says he is not prepared to back down, under pressure, over Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election. Scattered² reports also say that Iranian riot police have fired teargas to disperse³ a planned opposition⁴ rally in front of the parliament in Tehran.
　
Photo released by official website of Iranian supreme leader's office shows Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during meeting with parliamentarians in Tehran, 24 Jun 2009

The audience chanted "Death to America" and "God is great" as Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told them he would not yield to pressure to change the results of the disputed June 12 presidential election in which incumbent⁵ Mahmoud Ahmedinejad was declared the victor.

The ayatollah has ordered protests to end and the Iranian News Network (IRINN) quoted him as saying giving in to such pressure would be "violating election law and will lead to dictatorship."

The ayatollah says this does not mean he is willing to turn a blind eye to mistakes, but he believes all discussions and encounters over the issue should be kind and sincere.

Extra days to resolve complaints

The ayatollah granted the body overseeing election disputes, the Guardian⁶ Council, an extra five days, until June 24, to resolve complaints. The council spokesman indicated Tuesday the body would not annul⁷ the results of the election because there were no major polling irregularities.

Iranian media also reports that one defeated presidential candidate, Mohsen Rezaie, has withdrawn⁸ his complaints of voting irregularities to the council.

Overnight opposition protest

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses⁹ say many opposition supporters took to their rooftops overnight to shout "Allahu akbar," a rally cry of defeated presidential candidate Mirhossein Moussavi.

A video on Mr. Mousavi's Facebook website shows hundreds of cars purportedly¹⁰ honking¹¹ horns Tuesday to protest government actions.

Mr. Mousavi's wife, Zahra Rahnavard, is calling for protests to continue and for all arrested protesters to be released.

Hundreds of Iranian politicians, journalists, intellectuals, as well as ordinary citizens have been arrested in recent days.

Key reformists will be investigated

New York-based Human Rights Watch also reported that a "notoriously abusive Iranian prosecutor¹², Saeed Mortazavi" has been charged by the government with investigating key reformists who are now under arrest.

The Arab daily Asharqalawsat and Al Arabiya TV are reporting a split within Iran's ruling clerical establishment and report Former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is trying to unseat Ayatollah Khamenei.

But Professor Fouad Ajami, of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), says such talk may be exaggerated.

"I think the clerical estate will hang together or they will hang separately. Yes, Rafsanjani does not care for Ahmedinejad," Ajami said. "Yes, Rafsanjani has had all kinds of differences with the Supreme Leader and yes, Rafsanjani, of all people, must know that behind the curtain, there is not a wizard, but an old man, because he is inside the system and knows the limitations of Khamenei. But nevertheless, I do not think he would tempt¹³ such a daring thing. I think the unity¹⁴ of the clerical estate is crucial to them all, and I think that Rafsanjani is shrewd enough to know that once you go down that path, that is a path of no return."

Professor Ajami says he believes Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, who recently distanced himself from the government crackdown on opposition protests, could be seeking middle ground between the opposition and embattled President Ahmedinejad.

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

3 disperse   

vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散

参考例句：

• The cattle were swinging their tails to disperse the flies.那些牛甩动着尾巴驱赶苍蝇。
• The children disperse for the holidays.孩子们放假了。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

6 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

7 annul   

v.宣告…无效，取消，废止

参考例句：

• They have the power to alter or annul inappropriate decisions of their own standing committees.他们有权改变或者撤销本级人民代表大会常务委员会不适当的决定。
• The courts later found grounds to annul the results,after the king urged them to sort out the "mess".在国王敦促法庭收拾烂摊子后，法庭随后宣布废除选举结果。

8 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

9 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

10 purportedly   

adv.据称

参考例句：

• This is purportedly the oldest tree in the world. 据称这是世界上最古老的一棵树。 来自互联网
• Mayor Oh Se-Hoon launched the campaign last year, purportedly to improve efficiency. 据悉，首尔市市长吴世勋于去年提出了这项旨在提高工作效率的计划。 来自互联网

11 honking   

v.（使）发出雁叫似的声音，鸣（喇叭），按（喇叭）( honk的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Cars zoomed helter-skelter, honking belligerently. 大街上来往车辆穿梭不停，喇叭声刺耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flocks of honking geese flew past. 雁群嗷嗷地飞过。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

13 tempt   

vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣

参考例句：

• Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
• The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

14 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。