美国政府警告伊朗不要继续发展核武器，认为这对国际安全造成了威胁。然而，华盛顿和欧盟在如何最好的给伊朗施压方面存在分歧。美国官员说，伊朗必须停止发展核武器。博尔顿是美国国务院负责武器控制和安全问题的最高官员。博尔顿说：“我们不能让伊朗这样一个支持国际恐怖主义的主要国家获得核武器， 以及把这些武器发射到欧洲、中亚和中东大部份地区，或者更远地方的运载工具。国际社会如果不立即采取认真的协调行动及时进行干预，伊朗就会沿着这条路继续走下去。”

　　In 2003, Iranian officials admitted to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that they had been secretly developing nuclear capabilities for more than a decade. The IAEA admonished Tehran and insisted on snap inspections and a halt to its uranium enrichment program. As a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the N.P.T., Iran is prohibited from developing a viable nuclear weapons program. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed at providing an alternate source of energy.

　　在2003年，伊朗官员向联合国的国际原子能机构承认，他们已经秘密进行了十多年的核试验。国际原子能机构警告了德黑兰政府，坚持要进行未经通知的临时检查，并要求伊朗停止浓缩铀计划。伊朗在禁止核扩散条约上签了字，因此它是不可以发展核武器的。但伊朗说，他们的核计划是为了开辟另一种能源。

　　Energy analyst Brenda Shaffer, who heads the Caspian Studies Program at Harvard University, says a nation so rich in oil and gas does not need a costly nuclear energy program. "The point is that Iran is saying they are not developing nuclear weapons, they are saying they're developing a nuclear energy program," he said. "And for a country that is the largest producer of natural gas in the world and really has very few export markets because the states next door to it are also gas producers and don't need the gas, it's pretty highly unlikely they are actually developing a nuclear energy program but actually a nuclear weapons program."

　　能源分析家谢弗是哈佛大学里里海研究项目的负责人。他说，伊朗有丰富的石油和汽油，不需要再发展这么昂贵的核能源计划。谢弗说：“关键是，伊朗说他们没有发展核武器，而是发展核电。伊朗是世界上最大的天然气生产国，而它几乎没有对外出口，因为其邻国也是产油国，不需要购买天然气。这样看来，他们应该不是在发展核电，实际上还是在发展核武器。”

　　From the Iranian perspective the pursuit of full nuclear capability is considered a right and, to some degree a necessity, according to Nasser Hadian, who teaches politics at Tehran University. "Their argument is that basically they have acted within the bounds of the N.P.T. and they feel that having control over the entire fuel cycle is very much with the bounds of the N.P.T. and why Iran should be exempted or pressured not to have that advantage," he said.Tehran has also seen the need for nuclear weapons capability as a deterrence in an unstable and potentially hostile neighborhood, especially with U.S. forces now present in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan. But, the possibility of a nuclear Iran has raised concerns beyond the Middle East.

　　从伊朗的角度出发，在德黑兰大学教政治的哈迪安解释说，追求全面的核能力是一种权利，从某种程度上来说，是必要的。哈迪安说：“他们的观点是，基本上他们是在防扩散条约允许的范围内操作。他们觉得，控制能源供应的整个过程没有超出条约的范围。伊朗不应该被剥夺或者说被迫放弃这个权利。”德黑兰还认为，拥有核武器能力让它在这个动荡不安，有潜在威胁性的地区得到了保护，尤其是美国已经在临近的伊拉克和阿富汗部署了军队。然而，对伊朗核武器问题的担心已经超出了中东地区。

　　Energy expert Brenda Shaffer says the political splits within Tehran's leadership and the link of hard-line elements to terrorists is troubling. "I would say when we don't really know who controls the materials, you don't really know the state of the program," she said. "You don't know who these people are in touch with in terms of terrorist elements in other countries."

　　能源专家谢弗说，德黑兰领导层里的政治分歧，以及强硬派人士同恐怖分子的联系让人心神不宁。谢弗说：“我是说，如果不知道谁控制了原料，就不会真正知道核武器发展到了什么程度。因此也就不知道，这些人到底和其它国家的哪些恐怖分子有联系。”

　　Against the backdrop of the war on terrorism, concerns over Iran's secrecy about its nuclear program have accelerated.In June, the U.N.'s nuclear monitoring agency issued a statement deploring Iran's shortcomings in its cooperation with IAEA inspections. The U.S. administration argues that Iran has for too long misled the IAEA about its nuclear program and needs tougher action that only the United Nations Security Council could deliver. Iran expert Ray Takeyh of the Council on Foreign Relations warns that achieving a consensus among the permanent members of the Security Council for sanctions would be difficult. "The sanction that would count is an oil embargo," he said. "There's no chance the security council is going to invoke that at a time when China is becoming ever more dependent on Middle East energy supply."

　　在现在反恐怖的大环境下，对伊朗秘密发展核武器的忧虑就迅速增加了。6月份，联合国核武器监督机构发表了一份申明，对伊朗没有和国际原子能机构很好合作表示遗憾。美国政府说，有关核武器计划问题，伊朗长期误导国际核能源机构。现在需要对其采取更加严厉的行动，而这只有联合国安理会才能做到。外交关系研究会的伊朗专家塔基说，要想让安理会常任理事国在制裁伊朗的问题上达成共识会很困难。塔基说：“有效的制裁是石油禁运。但是在中国对中东能源的依赖越来越大的情况下，安理会是不可能作出这种制裁的。”

　　He also cites Russia, which has tightened restrictions on the technology and equipment it supplies for Iran's nuclear energy program but would be reluctant to give up the lucrative contracts. European allies still favor a dialogue and negotiations to dissuade Tehran from its nuclear pursuits even though they appear to be losing patience with Iran's defiant behavior. Washington is pushing for a much tougher approach. The next showdown for Iran is the IAEA meeting in September to review its cooperation on inspections of its facilities. But analysts say Iran probably figures it can buy time before tougher action is taken by assuming there will be no dramatic shift in the international community's strategy before the U.S. presidential elections in November.

　　他还提到了俄罗斯。俄罗斯开始进一步限制对伊朗核计划提供技术和设备，但它不愿放弃利益丰厚的合同。欧洲国家虽然对伊朗一意孤行的做法感到不满，但还是主张通过对话磋商来说服德黑兰放弃发展核武器。而华盛顿力图采取更加严厉的措施来解决这个问题。伊朗将在9月份面临再次摊牌， 届时，国际原子能机构会对伊朗与其在核设备检查方面的合作情况做出评估。但是分析人士说，伊朗会估计，在11月份美国大选前，国际社会对它发展核武器问题的处理策略不会有太大改变，因此在联合国采取更严厉的行动之前，它还能争取到一些时间。