VOA慢速英语2019 美国指责伊朗袭击阿曼湾油轮

US Blames Iran for Attack on Tankers² in Gulf³ of Oman

American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Iran “is responsible for the attacks” on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman earlier Thursday.

美国国务卿蓬佩奥表示，伊朗要对周四早些时候阿曼湾两艘油轮遇袭负责。

Pompeo said the United States made the judgement “based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise⁴ needed to execute the operation, and recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping⁵.” He added that no other group “operating in the area has the resources and proficiency⁶ to act with such a high degree of sophistication."

蓬佩奥表示，美国做出这一判断是基于“美国得到的情报、袭击中使用的武器、执行袭击所需的专业知识，以及伊朗最近对船只发动的类似袭击。”他还说，该地区没有其它组织有这种资源和熟练程度，可以执行这种高难度的行动。

Pompeo also said the U.S. would defend its forces and interests in the area but gave no details on any immediate⁷ plans.

蓬佩奥还称，美国将会捍卫自己在该地区的部队和利益，但是并没有给出任何近期计划的细节。

In May, the U.S. sent an aircraft carrier battle group to the Persian Gulf in response to, what it said, were threats from Iran. The U.S. had accused Iran of using mines to attack four oil tankers near the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Iran has denied any involvement.

今年5月份，为了回应来自伊朗的威胁，美国向波斯湾派遣了一支航母战斗群。美国指责伊朗使用水雷袭击了阿联酋富查伊拉港附近的四艘油轮，伊朗否认有任何参与。

However, Iran has repeatedly said it would block the Strait of Hormuz, near where the attacks happened, if it cannot sell its oil because of U.S. sanctions. About one third of the world’s oil trade passes through the strait. News of the attack caused the price of oil to jump as much as 4%.

然而，伊朗一再喊话，如果因为美国的制裁无法销售石油，该国就会封锁袭击发生地附近的霍尔木兹海峡。全球大约1/3的石油贸易是通过该海峡，这次袭击的消息也导致石油价格跳涨高达4%。

Iran has also warned that it is ready to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that the Trump⁸ administration withdrew from last year. Under the deal reached with China, Russia, France, Germany, Britain and the U.S., Iran had agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

伊朗还警告称，该国已经做好准备要打破2015年跟世界大国签订的核协议。川普政府去年退出了这项协议。根据同中国、俄罗斯、法国、德国、英国和美国达成的协议，伊朗同意限制铀浓缩活动以换取取消经济制裁。

The latest attacks happened as Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting with Iranian leaders in an attempt to lower tensions in the area. Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned after the meeting that, while it does not seek nuclear weapons, “America could not do anything” to stop Iran if it did.

最新这次袭击发生时，正值日本首相安倍晋三与伊朗领导人会晤，试图缓和该地区的紧张局势。伊朗领导人哈梅内伊在会晤后警告称，伊朗不寻求拥有核武器。如果伊朗这么干了，美国也没法制止伊朗。

The attack took place one day after Iran-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen fired a missile at an airport in Saudi Arabia, injuring 26 people. The Houthis had also claimed an armed drone strike last month on Saudi oil pumping stations.

这次袭击发生前的一天，伊朗支持的也门胡塞叛军向沙特一个机场发射导弹，造成26人受伤。胡塞武装还扬言上个月对沙特的石油泵站发动过无人机袭击。

Saudi Arabia, which is fighting the Houthis, called Thursday’s attack a “major escalation⁹.” Russia, one of Iran’s main allies, urged caution, saying no one should rush to judgement about the attack or use it to put pressure on Tehran.

正跟胡塞武装作战的沙特称周四的袭击是一次“重大升级。”俄罗斯作为伊朗的主要盟国之一，督促各方要谨慎行事，俄罗斯称各国不要急于对这次袭击下判断，或者利用其对伊朗施加压力。

International Tanker¹ Management operates the Front Altair, one of the damaged tankers. The company said that an explosion resulted in a fire on the tanker. Bernhard Schulte Ship management operates Kokuka Courageous¹⁰, the other ship involved. That company said the hull¹¹ of its tanker was damaged in a “suspected attack.”

国际油轮管理公司负责运营其中一艘受损的Front Altair号油轮。该公司表示是爆炸导致油轮起火。贝仕船舶管理公司负责运营另一艘卷入袭击的Kokuka Courageous号油轮。该公司称其油轮船体可能在疑似袭击中受损。

Iranian state television said 44 sailors from the two tankers were rescued by other ships in the area. They were then brought to an Iranian port in the southern area of Hormozgan.

伊朗国家电视台表示，这两艘油轮上的44名船员已经被该地区的其它船只救起，然后被带到了霍尔木兹海峡南部的一个伊朗港口。

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

proficiency –n. the ability to do something well

sophistication –n. having a lot of experience and knowledge about a subject such as technology or art

tanker - n. ship that is designed to carry liquid, like oil

drone - n. small aircraft that flies without a pilot

enrichment - n. process of increasing natural uranium for nuclear use

sanction - n. action taken to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country

1 tanker   

n.油轮

参考例句：

• The tanker took on 200,000 barrels of crude oil.油轮装载了二十万桶原油。
• Heavy seas had pounded the tanker into three parts.汹涌的巨浪把油轮撞成三载。

2 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

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 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

5 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

6 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 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

10 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

11 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。