VOA慢速英语2021 伊朗否认扣押韩国油轮作为人质（在线收听）

Iran has denied it is using crew members aboard a seized South Korean oil tanker as hostages.

伊朗否认该国利用扣押的韩国油轮上的船员作为人质。

Armed troops from Iran's Revolutionary Guard seized the ship Monday near the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. The tanker was carrying 20 crew members.

伊朗革命卫队的武装人员周一在波斯湾霍尔木兹海峡附近扣押了这艘船。该油轮载有20名船员。

The seizure appears to be an attempt to pressure South Korea to release around $7 billion frozen under American economic sanctions.

这次扣押似乎是在向韩国施压，要求其解冻根据美国经济制裁而冻结的约70亿美元资金。

Critics of Iran have long accused the country of hijacking ships and seizing foreign prisoners as a method of strengthening their position in negotiations. In a similar incident in 2019, Iran seized a British tanker and held it for two months.

伊朗的批评者长期以来一直指责该国扣押船只和外国人，以此来加强他们在谈判中的地位。在2019年的一次类似事件中，伊朗扣押了一艘英国油轮长达两个月时间。

"We've become used to such allegations," an Iranian government spokesman told reporters. He went on to blame South Korea for the incident: "...it is Korea's government that is holding $7 billion, which belongs to us, hostage on baseless grounds."

伊朗政府发言人对记者表示：“我们已经习惯了这种指控。”他进而将此次事件归咎于韩国：“是韩国政府毫无根据地扣押了属于我们的70亿美元。”

South Korea called in Iran's ambassador to demand that the ship be released. Officials said a team was being sent to Iran to discuss the situation. Iran said its forces stopped the ship for violating environmental rules by polluting waters in the Persian Gulf.

韩国召见伊朗大使要求释放该船。有关官员表示，已经派出一个代表团前往伊朗商讨这一局势。伊朗称其部队拦停了这艘油轮，因为该船污染了波斯湾水域，从而违反了环保规定。

However, an official with DM Shipping Company, the ship's owner, denied the tanker was polluting the waters, The Associated Press reported.

然而，据美联社报道，船东DM运输公司的一位官员否认该油轮污染水域。

Iran's threat to block shipping in the Gulf is one way to gain leverage in its expected negotiations with the administration of President-elect Joe Biden.

伊朗威胁封锁波斯湾航运作为与候任总统拜登政府的预期谈判中获得影响力的一种途径。

South Korea, like other countries, is required to limit Iran's access to its financial system under U.S. sanctions. The restrictions were ordered by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. The United States placed strong restrictions on Iran after it withdrew from a nuclear agreement reached with Iran under former president Barack Obama.

与其它国家一样，韩国也必须根据美国的制裁措施限制伊朗进入其金融系统的渠道。这些限制措施是川普政府下达的。美国退出了前总统奥巴马与伊朗达成的核协议之后对伊朗实施了严厉的制裁。

Biden has said he wants to reenter the nuclear agreement. But doing so is likely to present diplomatic problems. Since the United States withdrew from the deal, Iran has taken steps that violate it. Biden said Iran must fully obey the agreement in order for the deal to be saved.

拜恩曾表示，他想要重新加入伊朗核协议。但是这样做可能会带来外交问题。自从美国退出该协议以来，伊朗采取了违反该协议的步骤。拜登表示，伊朗必须完全遵守该协议，才能挽救这项协议。

Iran has said the United States must first lift the sanctions. Iranian officials say the sanctions are illegal and have hurt its economy, including its ability to deal with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the Middle East.

伊朗曾表示，美国必须先取消制裁。伊朗官员称这些制裁是非法的，并损害了该国经济，包括其应对中东地区最多的新冠肺炎病例的能力。

In another development, Iran announced Monday it had increased uranium enrichment at an underground production center. That is its latest move to violate the former nuclear deal's terms.

另一方面，伊朗周一宣布该国已经提高了地下生产中心的铀浓缩浓度。这是该国违反前核协议的最新举措。

South Korea's Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-wha, said on Tuesday she was making diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the tanker. South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister, Choi Jong-kun, is expected to visit Iran on Sunday. A government official in Tehran told Iranian state TV the visit had already been planned to discuss the frozen money.

韩国外交部部长康京和周二表示，她正在进行外交努力确保这艘油轮获释。预计韩国外交部副部长崔钟坤将于周日访问伊朗。德黑兰一位政府官员对伊朗国家电视台表示，已经计划进行这次访问讨论冻结资金的问题。