2007年VOA标准英语-Washington Denounces Iran's Spy Charges Against

By David Gollust
State Department
30 May 2007

The U.S. State Department says it is looking into reports that a fourth Iranian-American visiting Iran may be under detention¹. The White House said spy charges filed against three U.S. citizens by Tehran authorities are "preposterous²." VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Officials here say they are trying to determine whether another Iranian-American visitor to Iran is being held by authorities and could face espionage³ charges.

The Iranian daily newspaper Kayhan, which is linked to political hard-liners, reported that Iranian-American businessman Ali Shakeri has been arrested and is accused of having links to opposition⁴ groups seeking to overthrow⁵ Iran's Islamic leadership.

Iranian authorities have not acknowledged the arrest of Shakeri, who is said to work for the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at the University of California at Irvine. The New York-based Human Rights Watch said last week that associates of Shakeri had told the group he was under detention.

Haleh Esfandiari

On Tuesday, Iran said two U.S.-Iranian scholars, Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh, were being held on spy charges, and that a third dual-national, Radio Farda journalist Parnaz Azima, faced similar charges but had not been arrested.

In a talk with reporters, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said he could not confirm Shakeri's detention, but U.S. officials are concerned about a "pattern of harassment⁶" of Iranian-Americans by Tehran authorities.

"It is absolutely inconceivable how this regime would think that individuals who are private citizens, who are visiting family members, who are conducting private activities, and who have been doing so for quite some time, somehow now pose a threat to the regime or are involved in activities of a political nature there," he said. "It is simply untrue, and what the regime need to do is just release these people and let them go back to their families."

At the White House, spokesman Tony Snow said the notion the detained Americans have been engaged in spying is "preposterous."

Some news reports have suggested Iran may be detaining American visitors as possible bargaining chips for the release of at least five Iranians held in northern Iraq for alleged⁷ involvement in attacks on U.S.-led coalition⁸ forces.

Tom Casey

But spokesman Casey said the Iranian government has not made that connection, and that the issue did not come up Monday when U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker held a rare meeting with Iranian diplomats⁹ in Baghdad.

Casey said in any event there can be no comparison between cases like that of Haleh Esfandiari, a 67-year-old grandmother, and the terror suspects in Iraq.

"One needs to consider rather extreme difference here," he said. "Iran is arresting grandma. The multi-national forces are arresting people who are providing explosives and weapons, and training to use them, to individuals that are killing¹⁰ Americans, and killing Iraqis, both security forces and civilians¹¹. I think there is a great distinction there."

In comments to reporters traveling with her to Europe, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the two issues are "wholly unconnected" and that Iran's treatment of the U.S. citizens is a "perversion¹² of the rule of law."

Human Rights Watch has called the Iranian actions a "witch hunt."

The Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, which employs Esfandiari, said it was extremely disheartened by the news she faces charges.

Former Congressman¹³ Lee Hamilton, who heads the center, says Esfandiari has been interrogated¹⁴ about a $75 million U.S. program announced last year to fund pro-democracy programs in Iran, but that his organization receives no funding from it.

1 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

2 preposterous   

adj.荒谬的，可笑的

参考例句：

• The whole idea was preposterous.整个想法都荒唐透顶。
• It would be preposterous to shovel coal with a teaspoon.用茶匙铲煤是荒谬的。

3 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

6 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

7 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

8 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

9 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》

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

12 perversion   

n.曲解；堕落；反常

参考例句：

• In its most general sense,corruption means the perversion or abandonment.就其最一般的意义上说，舞弊就是堕落，就是背离准则。
• Her account was a perversion of the truth.她所讲的歪曲了事实。

13 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

14 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》