VOA慢速英语2018 伊朗计划扩大铀浓缩能力（在线收听）

Iran Plans to Expand Ability to Enrich Uranium

Iran's nuclear chief says his country has launched plans to increase its ability to enrich uranium.

伊朗核项目负责人表示，伊朗已经启动了提高铀浓缩的计划。

Such a move would intensify pressure on Britain, France and Germany. Those countries are struggling to prevent collapse of an international agreement aimed at controlling Iran’s nuclear program.

这样的举动会加大对英国、法国和德国的压力。这些国家正在努力防止一项旨在控制伊朗核计划的国际协议瓦解。

The agreement was weakened after the United States announced it will withdraw from the deal.

该协议在美国宣布退出之后被削弱。

Ali Akbar Salehi is director of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization. He told reporters that the country was developing technology for building advanced centrifuges at a nuclear center in Natanz. The city lies about 300 kilometers south of Tehran.

阿里·阿克巴·萨利希（Ali Akbar Salehi）是伊朗原子能组织的负责人。他对记者表示，该国正在纳坦兹的一个核中心开发用于制造先进离心机的技术。这座城市位于德黑兰以南约300公里处。

"What we are doing does not violate the (2015 nuclear) agreement, Salehi said. He added that the government sent a letter Monday to the International Atomic Energy Commission about “the start of certain activities."

萨利希表示：“我们这样做并不违反2015年签订的核协议。”他补充说，伊朗政府周一就“开始某些特定活动”向国际原子能委员会提交了信函。

Salehi said this did not violate the nuclear deal, but that it marked an increase in the development of the nuclear program.

萨利希称这并没有违法核协议，但是这标志着加大核项目开发。

Iranian state television broadcast his comments.

伊朗国家电视台播放了他的评论。

The country’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Monday he ordered preparations to expand uranium enrichment capacity in the event the agreement collapses.

该国最高领导人哈梅内伊周一表示，他他已下令一旦核协议崩溃，伊朗要准备提高铀浓缩能力。

Salehi said Iran could not support a "flawed" nuclear deal and could not obey new restrictions in the agreement while facing new sanctions. He noted Iran's position that it is ready to sharply increase its nuclear activity if the agreement falls apart.

萨利希表示，伊朗不能接受一项“有缺陷”的核协议，也不能在面临新制裁的同时遵守协议中的新限制。他指出了伊朗的立场，即如果协议破裂，该国就准备大幅增加其核活动。

Britain, France and Germany are attempting to save part of the deal that calls for an easing of sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear activities.

英国、法国和德国正在争取挽救该协议中要求放松制裁这部分内容，以换取对伊朗核活动的限制。

The U.S. government has re-established actions designed to punish Iran since it withdrew from the nuclear deal last month. At the time, President Donald Trump said Iran was a threat to national security.

美国政府自上个月退出核协议以来，已经重新制定了对伊朗的惩罚措施。当时，川普称伊朗是对美国国家安全的一大威胁。

Iran has said its nuclear program is for civilian, not military purposes. But Israel, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have accused Iran of trying to build a nuclear bomb.

伊朗一直声称其核项目是民用而不是军用目的。但是以色列、沙特和美国指责伊朗试图制造核弹。

Under the deal, Iran can continue to enrich uranium to 3.67 percent. That is far below the 90-percent required for weapons grade uranium.

根据协议，伊朗可以继续浓缩铀到3.67%。这远远低于武器级铀所需的90%。

The three European powers still support the deal. But they have concerns about Iran's missile program and its influence in the Middle East.

欧洲三大强国仍然支持该协议。但是他们担心伊朗的导弹计划及其对中东的影响。

I'm Caty Weaver.

Words in This Story

advanced – adj. highly developed

centrifuge – n. a machine used for separating substances

certain – adj. being fixed; known to be true

flawed – adj. not perfect; having one or more problems

sanction – n. an action taken by one or more nations to make another country obey a law or rule