VOA标准英语2012--Obama Says Diplomatic Window for Iran Nuclear Program Shrinking

Obama Says Diplomatic Window for Iran Nuclear Program Shrinking

President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron say they will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Mr. Obama says Tehran has a stark¹ choice.

"Tehran must understand that it cannot escape or evade² the choice before it: meet your international obligations or face the consequences," said President Obama.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and it is not giving up any of its right in moving to return to talks with permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany - a group known as the P5+1. 

President Obama says it is an opportunity that Tehran needs to seize seriously.

"I think they should understand that because the international community has applied³ so many sanctions, because we have employed so many of the options that are available to us to persuade Iran to take a different course, that the window for solving this issue diplomatically is shrinking," said Obama.

Sanctions against Iranian oil exports and its banking⁴ sector⁵ have hurt Iran's economy. 

And foreign policy analyst⁶ Malou Innocent says that has helped bring Iran back to nuclear talks.

“The Iranian rial since December has plummeted⁷ in value," said Malou Innocent. "We have seen an increase in unemployment, an increase in inflation. So really the Obama administration wants to continue that pressure, and they believe that that is what has brought Iran to the negotiating table.”

Setbacks for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in parliamentary elections have opened internal political divisions about Iran's nuclear ambitions.

“So there has been an increase in the rhetoric⁸ on Khamenei's part, on the Ayatollah's part, to engage with the P5+1 and also to begin opening up the Iranian nuclear program," she said.

Concerns about Tehran's nuclear ambitions come as Iran stands by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and continues to arm Hezbollah.

Johns Hopkins University professor Ruth Wedgwood says Iran's return to talks does not diminish its drive for influence.

“Iran wants to be the dominant⁹ player in the region," said Ruth Wedgwood. "And clearly they are calling the shots in Iraq.”

The Obama administration is denying Russian media reports that Washington is asking Moscow to warn Iran that these talks are its “last chance” to resolve the nuclear standoff peacefully. U.S. officials say they want substantive¹⁰ results, not talks that can be used to cover additional nuclear activity. 

1 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

2 evade   

vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避

参考例句：

• He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问题。
• You are in charge of the job.How could you evade the issue?你是负责人，你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？

3 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

4 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

5 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

6 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。

7 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

10 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。