2007年VOA标准英语-Analysts Say Relations Between Moscow and Tehra

By Andre de Nesnera
Washington
24 September 2007

Russia is helping¹ Iran build a large-scale nuclear reactor², while giving it crucial support at the United Nations. But as Senior Correspondent André de Nesnera reports from Washington, relations between Moscow and Tehran have cooled.

Russia is one of Iran's largest trading partners, providing Tehran with weapons as well as consumer goods. Moscow is also building a nuclear power plant at Bushehr, in southwestern Iran. On the political front, Moscow has been a strong supporter of Iran, opposing any tough sanctions against Tehran over its alleged³ nuclear-weapons program.

But experts such as Gordon Hahn, who has taught and written extensively about Russia for decades, say despite close economic and political ties, relations between Russia and Iran have been worsening.

"Russia has finally woken up to the fact that Iran was trying to ensnare Moscow in a very close relationship," said Hahn. "I think the main tenet of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's foreign policy is that Russia should have an independent foreign policy and direct its own course."

Hahn and others say an example of eroding⁴ relations between Moscow and Tehran is Russia's decision to delay completion of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Russian officials say the delay is due to Iran's problems in paying for Bushehr's construction. But Tehran says its payments have been on time and it accuses Russia of caving in to western pressure to halt its completion. Bushehr was expected to be built by next month - now experts say it could be delayed for more than a year.

Analysts⁵ say Russia has also shifted its position regarding international sanctions against Iran for its alleged nuclear-weapons program. The United States and the European Union believe Iran's uranium-enrichment program is designed to ultimately build nuclear arms - Tehran says it only wants to use its enriched uranium for peaceful purposes, such as electricity.

Former Russian foreign ministry⁶ official Nikolai Sokov, now at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, says Moscow offered a compromise whereby Russia would enrich uranium on its soil and then send it to Tehran.

"That seemed for the Russians as a nice compromise that would still sort of keep the nuclear program in Iran going and at the same time would remove the objections that the United States and the European Union had," said Sokov. "But the Iranians rejected that compromise and openly said that well, we cannot really trust the Russians that they would still send us fuel for the [Bushehr] power station. And the Russians went back, completely mad at them."

Gordon Hahn and others say initially⁷, Russia was against any kind of sanctions against Iran.

"[It] gradually has shifted to a position where it has supported sanctions, but at the same time, it has tried to defend Iranian interests by watering down those sanctions," said Hahn. "Every time the United Nations Security Council wants to institute sanctions, they have to go begging to Moscow essentially⁸ to get them to go along."

Many analysts say it will be interesting to see what role Russia will play in the Security Council as the U.N. body considers stronger sanctions against Iran: whether Moscow is now ready to accept more punitive⁹ measures against Tehran as relations between the two nations continue to cool.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

3 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

4 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

8 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

9 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。