VOA标准英语2015--Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify Ahead of March 31 Deadline

Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify¹ Ahead of March 31 Deadline

LONDON—

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the foreign ministers of Germany, Britain and France will meet in Paris on Saturday to discuss the status of talks with Iran, ahead of the March 31 deadline for a framework agreement.

The meeting comes as Kerry wraps up a weeklong trip that has focused largely on concerns about Iran nuclear negotiations².

In the Middle East, Kerry assured Gulf³ state officials in Saudi Arabia that even as world powers engage in nuclear talks with Iran, the U.S. will not lose sight of Iran’s other “destabilizing actions” — as he called them — in places like Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

“Obviously, the outcome of these negotiations will be of major consequence to the United States, yes, but really to the entire world, and particularly to this region,” said Kerry.

In a briefing with Kerry, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal cited concerns that include reports of Iran’s involvement in efforts to fight Islamic State militants⁴ in neighboring Iraq. “Iran is taking over the country,” he said.

Gulf ministers may also have been left jittery⁵ by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warnings about an Iran nuclear deal, in his speech to the U.S. Congress.

“This deal has two major concessions⁶: one, leaving Iran with a vast nuclear program and two, lifting the restrictions⁷ on that program in about a decade. That’s why this deal is so bad. It does not block Iran’s path to the bomb. It paves Iran’s path to a bomb," said Netanyahu.

As Netanyahu issued his warning, Kerry and other officials were meeting in Switzerland, discussing a nuclear deal with Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

World powers negotiating with Iran are hoping for a deal by the end of June that would limit Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran is seeking relief from crippling international sanctions.

Ultimately, both sides are seeking balance, said the Arms Control Association's Kelsey Davenport.

“What the question really is finding the right combination of factors that allow the P5 + 1 [five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany] to say ‘look, we’ve pushed Iran back from the brink⁸.' We have sufficient time to detect and deter⁹ any movement of nuclear weapons,” said Davenport

And it is a matter of how much Iran is willing to compromise, said nuclear analyst¹⁰ James Acton. “I think the big question in this case is how much room the Iranian side has to make concessions.”

U.S. and Iranian negotiators are expected to meet again on March 15.

1 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

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 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。

4 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。

5 jittery   

adj. 神经过敏的, 战战兢兢的

参考例句：

• However, nothing happened though he continued to feel jittery. 可是，自从拉上这辆车，并没有出什么错儿，虽然他心中嘀嘀咕咕的不安。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• The thirty-six Enterprise divebombers were being squandered in a jittery shot from the hip. 这三十六架“企业号”上的俯冲轰炸机正被孤注一掷。

6 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

7 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

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 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

10 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。