2007年VOA标准英语-Tehran, Washington Heighten Rhetoric Over Iraq

By Sonja Pace
Cairo
29 August 2007

U.S. troops in Baghdad briefly¹ detained eight Iranians before releasing them and turning them over to Iraqi officials early Wednesday.  The move comes amid heightened recriminations between Tehran and Washington, as VOA's Sonja Pace reports from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.

The U.S. military says it has released the eight Iranians, including two with diplomatic passports.  The military says the Iranians were briefly detained for questioning, because unauthorized weapons were found in their vehicles.

It's not the first time U.S. troops have detained Iranians in Iraq. The military is still holding five Iranians detained in January in northern Iraq. 

President George W. Bush gestures while addressing the American Legion 89th Annual Convention in Reno, Nev, Tuesday, 28 August 2007

U.S. military officials accuse the five of helping² militants³ in Iraq fight U.S. and Iraqi forces.  Tehran says the men are diplomats⁴ and has demanded their release.

Washington has long accused Iran of supporting violence in Iraq, and on Tuesday, U.S. President George Bush repeated his demand that Iran stop.

"The Iranian regime must halt these actions, and until it does, I will take actions necessary to protect our troops," said Mr. Bush.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (file photo)

Tehran denies that it is training or equipping insurgents⁵ or militias⁶ in Iraq.

Speaking at a news conference in Tehran on Tuesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had a word of caution for Washington.

The power of the occupier in Iraq is collapsing⁷, he said.  The Iranian leader predicted an imminent⁸ power vacuum in Iraq, which he said Tehran, with the help of regional neighbors and friends, would be willing to help fill.

While Washington has called on Iran to play a more positive role in helping to stabilize⁹ Iraq, it also fears that Iran wants to increase its influence over Iraq and the region.

Smoke from burning cars rise after clashes broke out in the streets of Shiite holy city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, Iraq, 28 Aug 2007

Joost Hiltermann, the Middle East director for the International Crisis Group, tells VOA that the Iranian president is correct in saying that a power vacuum exists in Iraq.  Hiltermann says that vacuum will increase when U.S. troops withdraw.  But, he says, Mr. Ahmedinejad is wrong if he thinks Iran can step in to fill the gap.

"There is no way that Iran can control the various conflicts that are raging in Iraq today and I think that the security people in Iran are in fact extremely concerned about a U.S. withdrawal¹⁰ and about the fact that Iran will have to deal with the vacuum that will be left behind," he noted¹¹.

Hiltermann describes the situation in Iraq today as not just one, but a series of civil conflicts.  He says that even though neither the United States nor Iran can stop them, it is important countries in the region be brought in as part of the solution to keep the violence from spreading beyond Iraq's borders.

1 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 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》

5 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

6 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

7 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

8 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

9 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

10 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。