2007年VOA标准英语-Iran Sends Mixed Messages on Nuclear Issue

By Gary Thomas
Washington
21 February 2007

As another U.N. deadline on Iran's nuclear program passed, Tehran continued to send signals of both defiance¹ and compromise. Meanwhile, the United States and its allies on the nuclear issue remain steadfast² in their demand that Tehran suspend uranium enrichment. As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports from Washington, Iran is still gauging³ what it might get in return for concessions⁴ on the nuclear issue.

 
Uranium conversion⁵ facility near Isfahan, Iran (file photo)
The Bush administration prides itself in staying "on message" - that is, all officials adhere to the same positions and talking points. But in Iran, staying on message seems to be a difficult proposition, especially when it comes to the nuclear issue.

Iranian officials have repeatedly made statements on the nuclear program that sometimes contradict each other, often in subtle ways, and that range from the conciliatory to the harshly defiant⁶. It is the kind of thing that drives Western intelligence analysts⁷ crazy - which, some experts say, is exactly what Tehran is counting on.

Bruce Jentleson, a political science professor at Duke University, says the sometimes varying pronouncements coming from Iranian officials can be attributed to both negotiating strategy and domestic political factors.

"One can interpret this in a couple of different ways," he said. "One is a very sophisticated negotiating strategy - that is, 'good cop and bad cop'. Second is that power is distributed within the government in different ways and you are hearing what we might call 'bureaucratic⁸ politics' coming through different constituencies that have different views."

 
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (20 Feb 2007)
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has seen a slip in his political fortunes, as shown by elections in December, and Supreme⁹ Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is believed to be in poor health. Analysts believe there is intense internal debate in Iranian ruling circles about how to handle the nuclear issue.

The U.S. has been leading the charge to punish Iran for what Washington believes is Tehran's covert¹⁰ pursuit of nuclear weapons capability¹¹. Iran vehemently¹² denies this, saying it only seeks peaceful nuclear energy.

State Department spokesman Tom Casey says the U.S. government sees nothing new in the varying statements coming from Iranian officials.

"And so while I'm sure we would all like to see Iran accept the positive pathway given, suspend their enrichment, and return to the negotiating table, I'm afraid that what we're seeing so far, including these recent statements, is just more of the same defiance," he said.

What is interesting, some analysts say, is how Iran has approached dealing¹³ with the world on the nuclear issue.

Most countries keep any nuclear work highly secret. But Iran has been publicly vocal¹⁴ about its intention to get peaceful nuclear technology - much more so under the hardline President Ahmadinejad than under his predecessor¹⁵, Mohammad Khatami.

George Friedman, chief executive officer of the private intelligence firm Stratfor, says Iran knows the United States and Israel would never let Iran get to the point of nuclear weapons. He believes Iran is using the whole nuclear issue as bargaining leverage¹⁶ to expand its regional influence.

"The Iranians are behaving very differently," he said. "They're drawing all the attention they can to the nuclear program, which indicates to me that they're using it as a psychological tool and a bargaining chip, and they're not serious. If they were serious, they wouldn't be sort of telecasting to the world what they're doing."

Friedman says Iran studied very carefully how North Korea dealt with the United States and its allies over its own nuclear program.

"I think the U.S. is now transitioning from where nuclear weapons were the fundamental issue to a kind of new phase where nuclear weapons are now seen as a kind of bearable mix in general," he said.

"We've seen that in North Korea, and I think that we're going to see that to some extent in Iran. But certainly the Iranians know something that the North Koreans taught them: if you want to jerk the American chain, have a nuclear program," he added.

But the difference in the two cases, analysts point out, is that North Korea already has nuclear weapons. Iran is believed to still be about four years or more away from that capability.

1 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

2 steadfast   

adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的

参考例句：

• Her steadfast belief never left her for one moment.她坚定的信仰从未动摇过。
• He succeeded in his studies by dint of steadfast application.由于坚持不懈的努力他获得了学业上的成功。

3 gauging   

n.测量[试]，测定，计量v.（用仪器）测量( gauge的现在分词 )；估计；计量；划分

参考例句：

• The method is especially attractive for gauging natural streams. 该方法对于测量天然的流注具有特殊的吸引力。 来自辞典例句
• Incommunicative as he was, some time elapsed before I had an opportunity of gauging his mind. 由于他不爱说话，我过了一些时候才有机会探测他的心灵。 来自辞典例句

4 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

5 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。

6 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

7 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。

8 bureaucratic   

adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的

参考例句：

• The sweat of labour washed away his bureaucratic airs.劳动的汗水冲掉了他身上的官气。
• In this company you have to go through complex bureaucratic procedures just to get a new pencil.在这个公司里即使是领一支新铅笔，也必须通过繁琐的手续。

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 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

11 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。

12 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

13 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

14 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

15 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

16 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。