2007年VOA标准英语-Committee in US House Approves Iran Sanctions M

By Dan Robinson
Washington
26 June 2007

In another step aimed at increasing the economic cost to Iran of its controversial nuclear enrichment program, a key congressional panel has approved legislation to impose sanctions on Iran's energy sector¹. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill.

The House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee approved the legislation, called the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007, by a vote of 37 to 1, recommending that it be moved for consideration by the full House.

Tom Lantos

Committee chairman Tom Lantos says the measure is designed to increase the cost to Tehran of continuing to pursue nuclear weapons.

It is also aimed at ensuring that provisions of an existing law, called the Iran Sanctions Act, are enforced with regard to companies investing in Iran's energy infrastructure². "Until now, abusing its waiver authority and other flexibility³ in the law, the executive branch has never sanctioned any foreign oil company which invested in Iran. Those halcyon⁴ days for the oil industry are over."

Under the legislation, which has the bipartisan support of nearly 300 House lawmakers, any country aiding Iran's nuclear program will be denied a nuclear cooperation agreement with the U.S.

It calls on the U.S. president to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps⁵ a terrorist group and would provide authority to the president to block assets of any entity⁶ providing support to the Revolutionary Guards.

Provisions also seek to increase pressure on foreign governments, including required presidential reports to Congress on specific steps they have taken and the outcome of these efforts, particularly with regard to actions against public or private companies engaged in Iran.

Saying the ultimate goal must be "zero foreign investment" in Iran, Congressman⁷ Lantos says the legislation goes to what he calls the ultimate legal limits of what is feasible in ratcheting up financial pressure.

Among other things, it extends sanctions to petroleum⁸ by-products and liquefied natural gas, and extends the scope of sanctions to include the sale of oil tankers⁹ or liquefied natural gas vessels¹⁰.

However, both Lantos and the Republican co-sponsor Ileana Ros-Lehtinen emphasize that the bill is not designed to target the Iranian people, who they describe as being subject to a new crackdown on dissent¹¹. "The regime in Iran is currently stepping up its repression¹² of even the slightest perceived opposition¹³," Ros-Lehtinen said.

During committee consideration, Republican Congressman Jeff Flake¹⁴ expressed his opposition to any stepped up unilateral action against Iran. "It is unlikely that unilateral sanctions like this will have an effect, and I think it will be less likely to achieve the type of multilateral sanctions that we would need, with this vote," he said.

But Flake's Republican colleague Dana Rohrabacher disagreed. "I don't believe that the U.S. should be hamstrung by always having to go to the political leaders of other countries, who may lack courage, and may lack the same moral guidelines that we have and expect that we are not going to act unless they do," he said.

In outlining another provision, which would re-impose a ban on all Iranian exports to the United States, Lantos said one reason for doing so is that Iran continues to hold several Americans with dual¹⁵ Iranian citizenship¹⁶.

Sanctions would end only when the president certifies¹⁷ to Congress that Iran has ended efforts to design, develop, manufacture or acquire a nuclear weapon or related materials or technology, chemical and biological weapons, and ballistic missiles and launch technology.

Iran would also have to be removed from the U.S. list of governments supporting international terrorism.

1 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

4 halcyon   

n.平静的，愉快的

参考例句：

• He yearned for the halcyon day sof his childhood.他怀念儿时宁静幸福的日子。
• He saw visions of a halcyon future.他看到了将来的太平日子的幻境。

5 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

7 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。

8 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

9 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。

10 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

12 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

13 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。

14 flake   

v.使成薄片；雪片般落下；n.薄片

参考例句：

• Drain the salmon,discard the skin,crush the bones and flake the salmon with a fork.将鲑鱼沥干，去表皮，粉碎鱼骨并用餐叉子将鱼肉切成小薄片状。
• The paint's beginning to flake.油漆开始剥落了。

15 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

16 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

17 certifies   

（尤指书面）证明( certify的第三人称单数 )； 发证书给…； 证明（某人）患有精神病； 颁发（或授予）专业合格证书

参考例句：

• Authority certifies the identity of sites on the internet. 权威负责向Internet网站授予其标识。
• The paper then certifies this algorithm by infrared image processing. 并且文中使用红外图像对这个算法进行了验证。