2007年VOA标准英语-Reports Say US Investigating Possible Iranian I

By Leta Hong Fincher
Washington, DC
01 February 2007
 
watch Iran Karbala report

U.S. media reports [New York Times, CNN] say the United States is investigating possible Iranian involvement in a recent attack that killed five American soldiers in Iraq's city of Karbala. As the Bush administration increases its pressure on Iran, some critics are warning against a drift toward military confrontation¹ without hard evidence of hostile Iranian intentions. VOA’s Leta Hong Fincher has more.

John Negroponte

At a U.S. Senate confirmation² hearing on his nomination³ to be deputy secretary of state, national intelligence chief John Negroponte on Tuesday defended the Bush administration's increasing pressure on Iran.

"Iran has been emboldened⁴ in its behavior during the past couple of years and has played a more assertive⁵ role and that certainly manifests itself in Iraq, where we have increasing evidence that they have been providing lethal⁶ assistance to extremist Shia groups in that country," he told the senators.

Democratic Senator Barack Obama, a candidate for president in 2008, warned against drifting into hostilities⁷ with Iran without first pursuing diplomacy⁸. The president's own Iraq Study Group has recommended direct talks with Iran over Iraq.

"You've got a policy that appears to be purposely somewhat ambiguous in terms of how the administration is going to pursue Iranians who are on Iraqi soil,” said Senator Obama. “This has led to grave concern on the part of many observers that we are stumbling into a more aggressive posture⁹ with respect to Iran."

The Bush administration has authorized¹⁰ U.S. forces to kill or capture Iranian agents who it says are plotting attacks in Iraq.  Iran denies it is aiding the insurgents¹¹.

President Bush told the ABC television network Tuesday that the United States will take whatever action is necessary, but he emphasized that this does not mean he intends to invade Iran. "We're going to protect our troops. It's not tough talk to say that the commander-in-chief expects our troops to be protected. That's common sensical [sense] talk, it seems like to me. Some are trying to take my words and say: 'Well, what he's really trying to do is go invade Iran.' Nobody's talking about that."

Amidst increasing tensions with Iran, Mr. Bush recently announced he is sending a second aircraft carrier and supporting ships to the Persian Gulf¹².

Besides U.S. concerns about possible involvement in Iraq, the U.S accuses Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies this charge, too.

In regards to Iraq, critics say the Bush administration has not provided hard evidence that Iranians are involved in attacks on U.S. forces.

Anthony Cordesman is an international security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "If the United States sees already a significant Iranian presence which aids the insurgency¹³, weapons transfers, if there is hard evidence, then we're going to see a great deal more tension between the United States and Iran if Iran expands its role [within Iraq]," he says.

Cordesman points out that Iran has had ties to Shiite militias¹⁴ in Iraq for more than two decades, dating back to the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. He warns that Washington's missteps in the Iraq war have undermined its credibility in the Middle East.

"The United States doesn't have the kind of credibility to make vague statements about Iranian actions and intentions. People in the region simply -- after what happened with the intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, the problems in managing the war, the reconstruction¹⁵ effort, the whole tension between the United States and Iran -- will not give us the benefit of the doubt unless we are much more specific about what we're accusing Iran of."

Iran's ambassador to Iraq recently said Tehran plans to expand its military and economic ties with Baghdad.

1 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

2 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 emboldened   

v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 )

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。
• His success emboldened him to expand his business. 他有了成就因而激发他进一步扩展业务。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 assertive   

adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的

参考例句：

• She always speaks an assertive tone.她总是以果断的语气说话。
• China appears to have become more assertive in the waters off its coastline over recent years.在近些年，中国显示出对远方海洋的自信。

6 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

7 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。

8 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。

9 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

10 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

11 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

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 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

14 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

15 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。