VOA标准英语2008年-US Warns of Further Sanctions Against Iran

The United States says major world powers will have no choice but to pursue new sanctions against Iran in the absence of a positive reply to their offer of incentives¹ for it to halt uranium enrichment. The State Department says a written response to the offer is expected Tuesday. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
　
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Natanz nuclear facility (2007 photo)

With a two-week deadline for an Iranian reply having passed over the weekend, senior diplomats³ of the five permanent U.N. Security Council member countries and Germany conferred by telephone and renewed their warning of further sanctions against Iran.

The so-called P Five Plus One offered Iran an enhanced package of incentives in June, including aid for a civil nuclear program, if it dropped a uranium-enrichment project the United States and European allies believe is weapons related.

Iran was non-committal about the offer at a July 19 meeting in Geneva and was given an additional two weeks to respond.

In a talk with reporters, Acting⁴ State Department Spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili has told European Union chief diplomat² Javier Solana Iran will give a reply in writing on Tuesday.

Gallegos said the major powers are disappointed at the lack of a response thus far, and he made clear that if Tuesday's reply is not positive, Iran can expect more sanctions:

"We remain committed to both tracks of the P Five Plus One dual-track strategy," said Gonzalo Gallegos. "Accordingly, we agreed in the absence of a clear, positive response from Iran that we have no choice but to pursue further measures against Iran as part of this strategy. Iran has a clear choice: engagement or isolation⁵. The P Five Plus One incentives package contained everything Iran needed to pursue a modern civil power nuclear program which Iran's leaders claim is their aim."

The U.N. Security Council has already approved three sanctions resolutions against Iran. The P Five Plus One, in the incentives plan, offered to suspend sanctions, if Iran suspended enrichment and returned to negotiations⁶ over the future of its nuclear program.

EU diplomat Solana and Jalili had what a European spokesman described as an inconclusive telephone discussion Monday.

Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is entirely⁷ peaceful and that it has a right to pursue an enrichment capability⁸.

Tehran submitted a document to Solana July 19 that is understood to have proposed several rounds of ministerial level negotiations while avoiding any promise to halt enrichment.

U.S. spokesman Gallegos said P Five Plus One political directors will confer by telephone again soon, presumably after submission⁹ of the Iranian paper to Solana.

The U.S. political director is Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns, who attended the July 19 meeting with Jalili, despite the absence of U.S. diplomatic relation with Iran.

 

1 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

3 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》

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

9 submission   

n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出

参考例句：

• The defeated general showed his submission by giving up his sword.战败将军缴剑表示投降。
• No enemy can frighten us into submission.任何敌人的恐吓都不能使我们屈服。