美国国家公共电台 NPR Iran's U.N. Ambassador: U.S. Escalating Hostilities Like A 'Knife Under Your Throat'

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now, what is Iran's side of shoot down that provoked the near U.S. airstrike? There's no Iranian diplomat¹ to ask in Washington. The U.S. and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since 1979. There is an Iranian ambassador to the United States in New York. Majid Ravanchi is his name. He's new to the job but not new to the United States. He's studied at the University of Kansas. We met yesterday afternoon in his office. With windows overlooking Manhattan, Ravanchi sitting there insisted that Iran had the right to fire on that U.S. drone.

MAJID TAKHT RAVANCHI: We tried to caution the drone through radio transmission. Unfortunately, that drone didn't respond. And all of a sudden, we noticed that it was entering our airspace.

INSKEEP: Now, we've heard the competing claims about exactly where the drone was. There is no way to independently verify either side's claim at this point. But the ambassador contends that Iran has evidence.

RAVANCHI: Besides, we have - in the possession of the remains² - some parts, remains of this drone, which fell.

INSKEEP: You've recovered portions of the drone.

RAVANCHI: We have recovered some portions of the drone, which naturally fell down within the territorial³ waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

INSKEEP: Is Iran waging a wider campaign of trying to send a message to the world?

RAVANCHI: Definitely not. We are not seeking war not only with the US; with nobody.

INSKEEP: But Iran could be conducting provocations⁵ without seeking war.

RAVANCHI: What is in it for Iran to have a provocation⁴? If, God forbid, a conflict erupts in our region, there is not going to be a loser or a winner. Everybody will lose.

INSKEEP: But aren't you seeking some way to resist or respond to the U.S. pressure campaign?

RAVANCHI: We have to be prepared to defend ourselves. Being prepared to defend ourselves does not mean that we are seeking war.

INSKEEP: When two oil tankers⁷ were recently attacked, Ambassador, as you know, the United States blamed Iran. Some U.S. allies were initially⁸ silent or skeptical⁹. They wanted to see the evidence. Now they have. And Angela Merkel, the leader of Germany, which has been trying to maintain a nuclear deal with Iran, has said there is strong evidence of Iran's involvement. Does Iran acknowledge any involvement by Iranian forces or proxy¹⁰ forces in those tanker⁶ attacks?

INSKEEP: Not at all. Not at all. We have said it very clearly that this has been a very suspicious action. Who has done it? We don't know. We have to find out who was responsible for this act. As I said...

RAVANCHI: How do you answer Angela Merkel, who says there's strong evidence of Iran's involvement?

RAVANCHI: It is not only Germany. Your other allies have not been satisfied with the explanation of the U.S. officials about this.

INSKEEP: But the British have been supportive of the U.S. version.

RAVANCHI: As I said, a number of countries have been supportive of the U.S. assertion. But there are a number of other countries who have not been satisfied. At the beginning, they produce a black and white picture. They thought that they could convince the people. Later on, they referred to color pictures. But nobody knows where this big ship was. Nobody knows where this small boat was.

INSKEEP: You're referring to U.S. military photos in color of what is identified as a Revolutionary Guard - Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessel¹¹.

RAVANCHI: But as I was explaining, there is no evidence as to where the big ship was. Was it in the Persian Gulf¹²? Was it in the Gulf of Mexico? Was it in the South China Sea?

INSKEEP: You think this is a photo from somewhere else?

RAVANCHI: I don't know. I mean, can you say that the evidence, which was shared by the U.S., can stand in the court of law in the United States?

INSKEEP: There will understandably be a dispute about all facts in these episodes. But there is a matter that is not up for dispute, and that is that Iran has said, in recent days, that it's continuing to enrich uranium and will soon pass a limit for the amount of enriched uranium to have on hand under the nuclear agreement. Why would Iran go past that limit?

RAVANCHI: The whole mess in our region started in May 2018, when President Trump¹³ decided¹⁴ to withdraw from the nuclear deal against all odds¹⁵, against all opinion from the international community. The U.S. is trying to intimidate¹⁶ Iran, is trying to put economic pressure on Iran, is trying to force Iran into negotiations¹⁷ under the U.S. terms. What we have been doing is to act rationally.

INSKEEP: Let's just remind people, that was the deal - Iran restrains its nuclear program and was supposed to have more free and open trade with the West.

RAVANCHI: That is true.

INSKEEP: The U.S. stopped that. And you wanted compensation from the Europeans, and you say you're not getting it.

RAVANCHI: Because nuclear deal was like a two-way street.

INSKEEP: But let me just ask, how is then exceeding a limit in the nuclear deal an effective response to that?

RAVANCHI: We said that we are going to after being patient for a year. And we didn't receive the financial dividend¹⁸ - the economic dividend that was promised to us based on the nuclear deal. As I said, nuclear deal was a two-way street. You cannot have, on one side of the street, a very beautiful flow of traffic and, on the other side, you have a traffic jam.

INSKEEP: In our talk, Iran's ambassador to the U.N. pointed¹⁹ to a provision in the nuclear deal, which appears to say that one nation in the deal may stop complying if other nations are not complying either. That, however, still left a larger question.

Are you, step-by-step, on your way out of this deal?

RAVANCHI: No, because we have said that it is not in our interest to see the demise²⁰ of the nuclear deal.

INSKEEP: The prime minister of Japan, as you know, was in Tehran, attempting to mediate²¹ between the United States and Iran - met with your supreme²² leader. Afterward²³, the supreme leader made a statement to the effect that Trump is not someone who can be negotiated with or dealt with. Does that mean there's no point in negotiating with the United States?

RAVANCHI: You cannot negotiate with somebody who has a knife in his hand, putting the knife under your throat and tell you, let's sit down and talk. That cannot be acceptable by anybody.

INSKEEP: Do you feel you know what the end game is here, where all of this is headed?

RAVANCHI: It is in the hands of the United States. So as soon as the U.S. changes course, I think we will be in a much better situation than what we have today.

INSKEEP: And you feel like you know what Iran's strategy is and that that can be a successful strategy.

RAVANCHI: Iran's strategy is to stick to the nuclear deal, which has the endorsement²⁴ of the international community. And if the U.S. goes back to the nuclear deal, I think, as I said, we will be in a much better situation.

INSKEEP: Majid Ravanchi is Iran's ambassador to the United Nations. He spoke²⁵ with us yesterday in New York. NPR's Peter Kenyon has been listening along with us - Peter, who covers Iran - and, Peter, what stood out for you there?

PETER KENYON, BYLINE²⁶: Well, I thought it was interesting he's still saying Iran is not trying to exit the deal. That wouldn't be in Iran's interests, despite its recent threats to stop some of its commitments under the agreement. He pointed to divisions among the U.S. allies. But mainly, he was repeating the message - at least that's what I heard - that - from Tehran - that it's not seeking war. He accused the U.S. of trying to intimidate and pressure Iran, and that's exactly what the supreme leader has been saying. There will be no negotiations under pressure. There's no reason right now to talk with the U.S. because their word can't be trusted. He's been saying that since Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions. So Iran is saying it's not too late, even now, to salvage²⁷ the situation, but it has to start seeing economic benefits. And that's exactly what the Trump administration seems most determined²⁸ not to let Iran see at this point.

INSKEEP: He also insisted we're acting²⁹ rationally. Do outside analysts³⁰ agree with that? - that Iran, given the massive pressure, would be doing about what it's doing.

KENYON: Iran seems to be responding to pressures. If you want to call that rational, I would say, yes.

INSKEEP: Peter, thanks very much.

KENYON: Thanks, Steve.

INSKEEP: NPR's Peter Kenyon.

(SOUNDBITE OF HANDBOOK'S "IN MY THOUGHTS (REMIX)")

1 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。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

4 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

5 provocations   

n.挑衅( provocation的名词复数 )；激怒；刺激；愤怒的原因

参考例句：

• We cannot ignore such provocations. 对于这种挑衅，我们不能置之不理。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They must immediately cease all their provocations. 他们必须停止一切挑衅。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 tanker   

n.油轮

参考例句：

• The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
• Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。

7 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

10 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

11 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

12 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。

13 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。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

15 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

16 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

17 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

18 dividend   

n.红利，股息；回报，效益

参考例句：

• The company was forced to pass its dividend.该公司被迫到期不分红。
• The first quarter dividend has been increased by nearly 4 per cent.第一季度的股息增长了近 4%。

19 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

20 demise   

n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise.他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• The war brought about the industry's sudden demise.战争道致这个行业就这么突然垮了。

21 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

22 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。

23 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

24 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

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。

26 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

27 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

28 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

29 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。

30 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。