VOA慢速英语2016--伊朗核协议签署一周年

AS IT IS 2016-07-14 Nuclear Deal with Iran Turns One Year Old.伊朗核协议签署一周年

The agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear program in return for easing international restrictions¹ on the country is now one year old, but fragile.

The United States, six other world powers and Iran finished nearly two years of negotiations² on the Joint³ Comprehensive Plan of Action on July 14, 2015.

The agreement set out steps Iran had to take to prevent the country from being able to make nuclear weapons. It also ended many of the West’s financial, trade and oil sanctions that had hit Iran's economy hard.

Recently, Secretary of State John Kerry said the agreement contained Iran’s nuclear program. “It really wasn't long ago that we saw a rapidly expanding nuclear program in Iran, only months away from having enough weapons-grade uranium to build 10 to 12 nuclear weapons," said Kerry.

Iran has shut down thousands of centrifuges for enriching uranium. It also has exported almost all of its bomb-making material, according to the Associated Press.

The Obama administration and some independent experts say if Iran were racing⁴ to make a nuclear weapon, it would need at least a year.

The U.S. and its partners—Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia—say that is enough time to discover it and stop it.

Iran’s moves mean the threat of a military conflict is gone, for now, according to the Associated Press.

However, upcoming elections in the U.S. and an election next year in Iran could bring new leaders who want to undo⁵ the deal.

In the U.S., Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton supports the deal, but Republican candidate Donald Trump⁶ says he would “renegotiate” it if he wins.

In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani and his government, which helped negotiate the agreement, could be replaced.

And in the Middle East, Israeli leaders still strongly oppose the deal although there is little talk of airstrikes or military intervention⁷ against Iran.

For now, the agreement is holding.

The U.S. and Iran also are expanding cooperation.

The American company, Boeing, reached a deal with government-owned Iran Air to buy passenger airplanes. That agreement could be worth as much as $25 billion. That suggests some of the agreement’s early problems may be easing.

However, in the U.S. Congress, both Republicans and Democrats⁸, who opposed the nuclear agreement want to stop the airplane sale.

Last week, the House passed two measures to block the sale. The Senate has not acted yet. President Obama would likely veto the bill blocking the sale.

Supporters say the deal is a success because Iran does not have nuclear weapons.

Those opposed, however, warn that this is just year one, and there are seven more to go, in the eight-year agreement.

Words in This Story

fragile – adj. easily broken or damaged

ballistic missile – n. a weapon shot through the sky over a big distance and then falls to the ground and explode

uranium – n. a radioactive element used to make nuclear weapons

cusp – n. the edge of something

centrifuge – n. a machine that spins substances inside a container around very fast, causing the heavier substances to move to the bottom or sides of the container.

veto – n. a decision by a person in authority to not allow or approve something

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 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。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

5 undo   

vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销

参考例句：

• His pride will undo him some day.他的傲慢总有一天会毁了他。
• I managed secretly to undo a corner of the parcel.我悄悄地设法解开了包裹的一角。

6 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。

7 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

8 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》