奥巴马就伊朗核协议发表讲话

 　　WHITE HOUSE—He stood at the same university where more than 50 years ago, then-President John F. Kennedy used a commencement address to first call for nuclear disarmament and a nuclear test ban treaty with the Soviet¹ Union.

　　Kennedy’s historic call for diplomacy² was not lost on President Barack Obama on Wednesday.

　　“He [Kennedy] rejected the prevailing³ attitude among some foreign policy circles that equated⁴ security with a perpetual war footing. Instead, he promised strong, principled American leadership on behalf of what he called a practical and attainable⁵ peace,” Obama said at American University in Washington.

　　Obama to Iran Deal Critics: Choose Diplomacy Over War

　　Calling the Iran nuclear agreement the “most consequential⁶ debate” the United States has had since the 2002 decision to invade Iraq, Obama warned U.S. lawmakers against blocking what he called a “very good deal.”

　　“We have to be honest. Congressional rejection⁷ of this deal leaves any U.S. administration that is absolutely committed to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon with one option: another war in the Middle East,” Obama said.

　　Diplomacy or war

　　In a nearly hourlong speech, Obama laid out a forceful rebuttal to critics of the nuclear agreement reached in July between Iran and the P5+1 nations —  the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. He said U.S. lawmakers had a stark⁸ choice “ultimately between diplomacy or some sort of war.” The latter, he said, would be far less effective in preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

　　“It would likely guarantee that inspectors⁹ are kicked out of Iran. It is probable that it would drive Iran’s program deeper underground. It would certainly destroy the international unity¹⁰ that we spent so many years building,” the president told an audience that included ambassadors from P5+1 nations.

　　He noted¹¹ that the same people who are against the Iran deal supported the Iraq war, a conflict in which thousands of lives were lost and nearly $1 trillion spent.

　　Rallying Congress

　　U.S. lawmakers have until September 17 to approve or vote down the deal. The president can veto any disapproval¹², but he needs the support of his fellow Democrats¹³ to ensure his veto is not overridden¹⁴ and the deal goes forward.

　　Hours before the speech, Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called for a serious debate on the agreement in September, noting “widespread, well-founded and bipartisan” concerns.

　　“It’s clear that this deal is making members of both parties uneasy, and with good reason. America’s role in the world, its commitment to global allies, and the kind of future we will leave our children are all tied up in this issue,” the Kentucky Republican said.

　　Speaking on the Senate floor, McConnell cited concerns expressed by Democratic lawmakers that the agreement lacks sufficient safeguards, could lead to nuclear weapons race in the region and leaves limited options to prevent Iran’s nuclear breakout.

　　Rebutting¹⁵ critics

　　Obama addressed many of those concerns, including the assertion that the agreement is not strong enough.

　　“The prohibition¹⁶ on Iran having a nuclear weapon is permanent.  The ban on weapons-related research is permanent. Inspections¹⁷ are permanent,” he said. “It is true that some of the limitations regarding Iran’s peaceful program last only 15 years.  But that’s how arms control agreements work.”

　　He also pushed back at those who say sanctions relief will embolden¹⁸ Iran. He spoke¹⁹ at length about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition²⁰ to the deal, contending that the Israeli leader was wrong.

　　“To friends of Israel, and to the Israeli people, I say this: A nuclear-armed Iran is far more dangerous to Israel, to America and to the world than an Iran that benefits from sanctions relief,”  he said.

　　The president said those who believe the U.S. can walk away from the deal and still maintain pressure on Iran through continued sanctions were “selling a fantasy.”

　　Obama ended his speech by noting that lawmakers’ rejection of a diplomatic solution would perhaps do most damage to the image of the United States in the eyes of the world.

　　“If Congress kills this deal, we will lose more than just constraints²¹ on Iran's nuclear deal or the sanctions we have painstakingly²² built," he said. "We will have lost something more precious: America's credibility as a leader of diplomacy.”

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

3 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

4 equated   

adj.换算的v.认为某事物（与另一事物）相等或相仿( equate的过去式和过去分词 )；相当于；等于；把（一事物） 和（另一事物）等同看待

参考例句：

• Production costs for the movie equated to around 30% of income. 这部电影的制作成本相当于收益的30%。
• Politics cannot be equated with art. 政治不能同艺术等同起来。

5 attainable   

a.可达到的，可获得的

参考例句：

• They set the limits of performance attainable. 它们确定着可达到的运行限度。
• If objectives are to be meaningful to people, they must be clear, attainable, actionable, and verifiable. 如果目标对人们是具有意义的，则目标必须是清晰的，能达到的，可以行动的，以及可供检验的。

6 consequential   

adj.作为结果的，间接的；重要的

参考例句：

• She was injured and suffered a consequential loss of earnings.她受了伤因而收入受损。
• This new transformation is at least as consequential as that one was.这一新的转变至少和那次一样重要。

7 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

8 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。

9 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

13 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 overridden   

越控( override的过去分词 )； （以权力）否决； 优先于； 比…更重要

参考例句：

• The chairman's veto was overridden by the committee. 主席的否决被委员会推翻了。
• Property '{0}' is not declarable, and cannot be overridden. 属性“{0}”是不可声明的，不能被重写。

15 rebutting   

v.反驳，驳回( rebut的现在分词 )；击退

参考例句：

• The union countered with letters rebutting the company's claims. 工会写信驳回了公司的要求。 来自辞典例句

16 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

17 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 embolden   

v.给…壮胆，鼓励

参考例句：

• Emboldened by the wine,he went over to introduce himself to her.他借酒壮胆，走上前去向她作自我介绍。
• The Prime Minister was steadily emboldened by the discovery that he faced no opposition.发现自己并未遭到反对，首相渐渐有了信心。

19 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。

20 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。

21 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

22 painstakingly   

adv. 费力地 苦心地

参考例句：

• Every aspect of the original has been closely studied and painstakingly reconstructed. 原作的每一细节都经过了仔细研究，费尽苦心才得以重现。
• The cause they contrived so painstakingly also ended in failure. 他们惨淡经营的事业也以失败而告终。