2007年VOA标准英语-US Dismisses Iranian Spy Charges as Absurd

By David Gollust
State Department
29 May 2007

The United States Tuesday dismissed as absurd charges by Iran that three Iranian-Americans visiting that country were involved in spying. The charges were announced only a day after U.S. and Iranian diplomats¹ held a rare face-to-face meeting in Baghdad. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The State Department says none of the three Iranian-Americans directly worked for the United States government or was engaged in U.S. government business on their visits to Iran, and that the spy charges by Tehran authorities are absurd.

The comments followed an announcement from Iranian judicial² authorities that the three dual³ citizens, who had been prevented from leaving the country after routine visits, are now accused of espionage⁴.

Haleh Esfandiari

The most prominent of the three is academic Haleh  director of the Middle East program of Washington's Woodrow Wilson center for scholars.

She had been barred from leaving Iran since last December after visiting her ailing⁵ mother and has been held since earlier this month at Tehran's Evin prison, which has been linked in the past to human rights abuses.

Also reported to be in custody⁶ is Kian Tajbaksh, a social scientist and urban planer for the New York-based Open Society Institute, which says he was jailed about two weeks ago.

The third Iranian-American, journalist Parnaz Azima of the U.S.-funded Radio Farda, has not been jailed. But her passport was confiscated⁷ and she has been barred from leaving Iran since January after also going to there for a family visit.

At a news briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said the United States has not been officially notified of the espionage charges and that Iran has not responded to requests for consular⁸ access to the three by the Swiss government, which looks after U.S. interests in Tehran.

Casey insisted the charges against them are without substance.

"These are individuals who are private citizens," he said. "They are not party to any of the policy disputes between the government of the United States and the government of Iran. It's absolutely absurd to think that they in any way, shape or form pose a threat to the Iranian regime. And we continue to urge the Iranian government to let them go, to let them go back to visiting their families, to come back home to be with their families here, and to continue with the very basic people-to-people kind of work that they've been pursuing in Iran for many years."

In addition to the three Iranian-Americans now accused of spying, the United States has been seeking information about the fate of a former U.S. FBI agent, , who went missing after arriving in March at Iran's Kish Island resort in the Persian Gulf⁹.

Iran has denied, in messages conveyed by the Swiss, any knowledge of Levinson's whereabouts but U.S. officials are skeptical¹⁰, pointing to press reports that he may have been detained shortly after his arrival in Iran.

There have been news accounts Iran may intend to use the U.S. citizens it holds as bargaining chips for the release of five Iranians detained in northern Iraq since January for alleged¹¹ involvement in attacks on U.S.-led coalition¹² forces.

However, Spokesman Casey said he is unaware¹³ of any linkage¹⁴ between the five Iranians the United States says were lawfully¹⁵ detained in Iraq and the cases of the three dual citizens facing spy charges.

Casey said the issue was not raised by either side Monday in U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker's Baghdad meeting Monday with Iranian diplomats. He said only Iran can explain why it is engaged in a "pattern of harassment¹⁶" against private American citizens.

The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since 1979 and interaction between the two governments has been rare.

Monday's talks in Iraq were limited to Iraqi security issues. Though no substantive¹⁷ advances were announced, the two sides were said to have agreed on the general need for a stable and peaceful Iraq.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

3 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

4 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

5 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

6 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

7 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

8 consular   

a.领事的

参考例句：

• He has rounded out twenty years in the consular service. 他在领事馆工作已整整20年了。
• Consular invoices are declarations made at the consulate of the importing country. 领事发票是进口国领事馆签发的一种申报书。

9 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。

10 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。

11 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

12 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

13 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

14 linkage   

n.连接；环节

参考例句：

• In their monographic treatment of linkage,they have emphasized this especially.他们在论连锁的专题文章中特别强调了这点。
• Occasionally,problems with block inheritance or linkage are encountered.有时会遇到区段遗传或连锁问题。

15 lawfully   

adv.守法地，合法地；合理地

参考例句：

• Lawfully established contracts shall be protected by law. 依法成立的合同应受法律保护。 来自口语例句
• As my lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death parts us. 当成是我的合法丈夫，无论疾病灾难，直到死亡把我们分开。 来自电影对白

16 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

17 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。