VOA标准英语2011--Britain Withdraws Some Diplomats From Iran

Britain Withdraws Some Diplomats¹ From Iran

 

The British government is pulling some diplomatic staff out of Iran following Tuesday's attack on its embassy in Tehran by a group of protesters. On Sunday, Iranian lawmakers voted to weaken diplomatic ties after Britain imposed new sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Hundreds of students gathered Tuesday outside the British Embassy in Tehran to protest against the sanctions, chanting "Death to Britain."

Several demonstrators scaled the fence before ransacking² the buildings. One protestor appeared to be waving a portrait of the British Queen. Staff fled the embassy through a back door.

Regrets not enough

Iran expressed regret over the incident. But Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said that was not good enough.

"We hold the Iranian government responsible for its failure to take adequate measures to protect our embassy as it is required to do... Clearly there will be other, further, and serious consequences," he said.

Britain is urging its citizens in Iran to "stay indoors and keep a low profile," he said.

Protesters remove the flag of the British embassy in Tehran, November 29, 2011.

The attack comes two days after the Iranian parliament voted to downgrade diplomatic relations with London.

Increased pressure

Last week, Britain strengthened sanctions against Iran, cutting all links with its banks. The US and Canada also tightened³ their sanctions.

It follows a report from the UN’s nuclear watchdog the IAEA, suggesting Tehran is still pursuing a nuclear weapon.

Andrea Berger of London analyst⁴ group RUSI says the report stretched the West’s patience with Iran.

"The diplomatic avenue in compelling Iran to renounce⁵ nuclear weapons is perhaps not going to be pursued as actively⁶ as it may have been in the past, and we may be moving towards increasingly harsh approaches such as sanctions," said Berger.

Despite the sudden escalation⁷ of tensions, Berger says the IAEA report does not suggest Iran is on the brink⁸ of becoming a nuclear power.

"The report’s inconclusiveness of the current developments in possible military dimensions suggests that there is no smoking gun. However that’s no reason for complacency on the part of major countries pursuing policies such as sanctions," Berger said.

British media is comparing Tuesday’s scenes to the storming of the U.S. Embassy in 1979, when militants⁹ held 52 Americans hostage for over a year.

Additional reaction

President Obama said he was ‘disturbed’ by the attack on the British Embassy.

The UN Security Council condemned¹⁰ also condemned the incident.

Analysts¹¹ say that in the space of a few days, Western relations with Iran have taken a dramatic turn for the worse.

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 ransacking   

v.彻底搜查( ransack的现在分词 )；抢劫，掠夺

参考例句：

• She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present. 她正在彻底搜寻各家店铺，为吉姆买礼物。 来自英汉文学 - 欧亨利
• Ransacking the drawers of the dresser he came upon a discarded, tiny, ragged handkerchief. 他打开橱柜抽屉搜寻，找到了一块弃置的小旧手帕。 来自辞典例句

3 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

6 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

7 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

8 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

9 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。

10 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。