美国国家公共电台 NPR National Security Adviser Defends Briefing On Iran Criticized

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Let's pursue answers to a big question posed by Senator Mike Lee. He is a Republican from Utah. He says he supports President Trump¹, but he told Rachel Martin yesterday that the administration has done a terrible job explaining its actions against Iran.

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MIKE LEE: What I'm most concerned about is about where that goes from here. What comes next? Is there another strike coming against Iran?

INSKEEP: Senator Lee asked that question after the administration gave the Senate an explanation of what it has done so far. A U.S. drone strike killed an Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani. The strike dramatically escalated² tensions and triggered Iranian missile strikes in response. Some lawmakers assert the administration failed to share intelligence to back up its claim that Soleimani was planning imminent³ attacks on Americans, though he certainly has directed them in the past. Democrat⁴ Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told David Greene on this program that he questioned top Pentagon officials.

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ADAM SMITH: When you ask them, OK, well, what attacks? What were the targets? They didn't know. What was the timeline? There was no message that they received or intel that they got. It was just a lot of chatter⁵ about targets that they were looking at and the desire to hit those targets sometime in the near future.

INSKEEP: With those critiques in mind, we went to the White House yesterday and sat across a table from Robert O'Brien. He is the president's national security adviser⁶, a lawyer and former diplomat⁷. As we will hear, he issued a warning to Iran. And he also insisted the administration has done well in explaining the president's actions to Congress.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: I've heard from a lot of people that it was a fantastic briefing. Mike Lee is a friend of mine and someone who I greatly respect and the president really respects. And so I was disappointed to hear that he wasn't happy with the briefing. But I've also heard from other senators, including Chairman Risch of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - he thought it was one of the best briefings ever had. So I think there's always mixed reviews on these things.

INSKEEP: Mike Lee was especially concerned about where the president saw the limits of his power. As you know, the president ordered the killing⁸ of a very senior Iranian military figure. And the hypothetical was asked in this meeting, we're told, would the president ask Congress before deciding to have the supreme⁹ leader of Iran killed? What is the answer to that question?

O'BRIEN: Well, we never answer those sorts of hypotheticals. But I can tell you it's been longstanding presidential practice - when you have a military operation that's particularly sensitive - for example, when President Obama took out Osama bin¹⁰ Laden¹¹, those things don't happen with prebriefs to Congress. But we made certain in this case that Congress was made aware of the military operation against Soleimani immediately after it happened. But we feel that we're in full compliance¹² with obligations for briefing Congress. It's important. They're the elected representatives of the people. And they should know what's happening. And that's an obligation the president takes very seriously.

INSKEEP: The president did order the killing of a specific senior national figure who was not at that moment in the act of attacking someone. You believe something was planned. Wouldn't the same logic¹³ mean that you would claim the authority to kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei if he was planning something, or you believed he was planning something?

O'BRIEN: Well, look. The United States always maintains the right to self-defense. United States military units and the president as commander-in-chief has Article II power to maintain the security of the United States. And in this case, with respect to Soleimani - I'm not going to talk about hypotheticals about how others - Soleimani was in the act of planning attacks against Americans. We knew that. We had very good intelligence on that front. If we didn't engage in this operation and the attacks had taken place and many Americans would have been killed, there would've been, you know, plenty of people that would have criticized us for not having disrupted the attacks. So...

INSKEEP: Did you know the time and place of the attacks that were being planned?

O'BRIEN: We had very good intelligence that there was an imminent attack being planned...

INSKEEP: But time and place?

O'BRIEN: It was imminent. You know, you never know the time and place of these things with perfect particularity. But we had very good information that there were imminent attacks. There are a lot of people that want that intelligence released. I wish we could. But at the same time, we don't want to compromise sources and methods that allow us to protect Americans.

INSKEEP: We interviewed Iran's ambassador to the United Nations. He said Iran's retaliation¹⁴ is over but then added Iran is not responsible for what its allied¹⁵ militias¹⁶ in Iraq or elsewhere might do. Does the United States hold Iran responsible for what its allies may do?

O'BRIEN: Well, look. We've made it very clear that when Iranian proxies¹⁷ that are directed by Iran attack Americans - that we're going to hold the Iranians responsible. And, you know, that's one of the reasons why we had to engage in a number of military operations recently. Remember, these were not first shots fired by the United States. The first shots were taken by the Iranians against - and their proxies - against the United States of America. They killed an American citizen, wounded our servicemen. The president takes a very hard line against people that are planning or killing Americans or harming them.

INSKEEP: The conflict with Iran, obviously, is more than 40 years old. This most recent phase of intense conflict seems to be getting rather long term, also. It may last for years for all we know. Is this the best place to be putting this much attention for a long period of time?

O'BRIEN: Well, we focus on the entire world all the time. So, I mean, we have issues going on in Venezuela. We've got issues going on in the DPRK, North Korea. We're very concerned about the rise of China. The Chinese are spending tremendous amounts of money building new ships and submarines every month, building new aircraft carriers. So there are a lot of places where we have concern. We're concerned about Russia. So we've got a lot of concerns around the world, and we're watching all of them. Iran is one of those. And we'll take care of business as it comes up.

INSKEEP: The president has said he wants to get out of endless wars in the Middle East, which can be seen as a large strategic thought, to focus instead on things like China and Russia. Does the president's own focus on Iran get in the way of his own goal?

O'BRIEN: Oh, not at all. Look. Iran is a huge problem in the Middle East, the largest state sponsor of terrorism. They're behind the genocide in Syria. They're supporting the Houthis in the civil war in Yemen. They're closely aligned¹⁸ with Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian conflict, which has claimed the lives of half a million people. So one of the ways to get out of the Middle East and for the U.S. to not have the footprint that we do there is to end Iranian hegemony in the region and to get Iran to start acting¹⁹ like a normal country. If that happened, that would hasten our ability to deploy²⁰ forces elsewhere, not tie us down.

INSKEEP: Don't you assume that would be a yearslong project at best? Because you have to assume that.

O'BRIEN: Look. There are many, many things in world affairs that are yearslong projects. I mean, that was one of the problems with the JCPOA. The JCPOA had a sunset clause.

INSKEEP: The nuclear deal.

O'BRIEN: The Iran nuclear deal. That's one reason we got out of it. And we're going to try and have a permanent solution.

INSKEEP: Back when I first asked to come talk with you some days ago, I thought it was a quiet start to the year, and we'd have an opportunity to thoughtfully talk about the year and what the threats might be. What do you see as the biggest threat facing the United States over this year that has now begun?

O'BRIEN: Well, look. The biggest threats we face are laid out in the president's national security strategy. And that is peer competition. So we have long-term threats to the United States from peer competitors like China and Russia. We need to be prepared for those.

INSKEEP: Peer competitors because China has a big economy, as the U.S. does. Russia has a big nuclear arsenal²¹. That's what you mean, right?

O'BRIEN: And they're authoritarian²² regimes. They don't share our values. They're a very wealthy country. They're plowing²³ much of that wealth into new military equipment that could threaten the United States or our allies. At the same time, there's a huge opportunity to work with the Chinese. And so the president just concluded a Phase 1 trade deal with China that we expect to be signing next week. So that's good news. So those are the major challenges to the United States. But there are subsidiary challenges. There are challenges in Iran. There are challenges in North Korea, DPRK. There are challenges in Venezuela. So we're keeping an eye on all those as we go into 2020.

INSKEEP: Is it awkward that you asked the Chinese for help on something like Iran, even as you push back on the Chinese on trade and you worry about their strategic competition?

O'BRIEN: No, that - look. That's how foreign affairs works. There are areas where we have common interests with the Chinese or the Russians and where we have common interests fighting terrorism, seeking to limit the DPRK nuclear and ballistic missile program. We'll work very closely with them. There are opportunities for trade with those countries. So we want to have good relationships with those countries. But where we disagree with them, whether it's Hong Kong or the treatment of the Uighurs or the - some of the corrupt²⁴ practices taking place in Chinese development projects in Africa or the Pacific Islands, we'll push back there.

INSKEEP: Ambassador O'Brien, thanks for your time.

O'BRIEN: It's great being with you, Steve. Thank you.

INSKEEP: National security adviser Robert O'Brien spoke²⁵ yesterday at the White House.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

3 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

6 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

7 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 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。

10 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

11 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

12 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

13 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

14 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

16 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

17 proxies   

n.代表权( proxy的名词复数 )；（测算用的）代替物；（对代理人的）委托书；（英国国教教区献给主教等的）巡游费

参考例句：

• SOCKS and proxies are unavailable. Try connecting to XX again? socks和代理不可用。尝试重新连接到XX吗？ 来自互联网
• All proxies are still down. Continue with direct connections? 所有的代理仍然有故障。继续直接连接吗？ 来自互联网

18 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

19 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

20 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

21 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。

22 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

23 plowing   

v.耕( plow的现在分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• "There are things more important now than plowing, Sugar. "如今有比耕种更重要的事情要做呀，宝贝儿。 来自飘（部分）
• Since his wife's death, he has been plowing a lonely furrow. 从他妻子死后，他一直过着孤独的生活。 来自辞典例句

24 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

25 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。