Iran to Test Long-Range Missiles in Weekend Drill

 　　Iran says it will fire long-range missiles on Saturday as part of military exercises in the Gulf¹.

　　The announcement on Friday was made on the heels of heightened tensions between Iran and Western powers over Tehran's threat to block oil shipments through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

　　The semi-official Fars News agency quotes Iranian admiral Mahmoud Mousavi as saying the navy will test several kinds of missiles, including long-range ones, as part of a military drill that began on December 24. He says the test firings are the final phase of the drill to "prepare the navy for confronting the enemy" in any war situations.

　　Iran's arsenal² incudes the Shahab-3 missile, which could reach Israel and some U.S. bases in the Middle East.

　　Earlier this week, Tehran threatened to block the entrance to the Persian Gulf if Western powers imposed sanctions targeting its oil exports.

　　Such a move would add to several rounds of sanctions already imposed on Iran over its controversial nuclear program.

　　More than one-third of the world's tanker-borne oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz. A closure could temporarily cut off some oil supplies and impact the price of oil worldwide.

　　The Pentagon said interfering³ with the passage of vessels⁴ through the strait will not be tolerated.

　　Separately, the Associated Press quoted a Saudi oil ministry⁵ official as saying Gulf oil producers would be ready to step in, if necessary, to make up for any losses.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

3 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

4 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 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。