VOA标准英语2010年-Russia Delays Arms Delivery to Iran

In this photo taken 05 Aug 2005, an S-300 surface-to-air missile blasts off at the Ashuluk firing range, in Astrakhan region, 1280 km south of Moscow, Russia. The S-300 , similar to the US Patriot¹ missile, is capable of shooting down aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missile warheads at ranges of over 145 kilometers and at altitudes of about 27,000 meters.

Russia is delaying delivery of its S-300 air-defense² system to Iran and is also calling for Tehran to adhere to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines for enrichment of nuclear fuel.  The moves follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's two-day visit to Moscow.

The Interfax News Agency quotes the deputy director of Russia's Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, Alexander Fomin, as saying delivery of the S-300 air defense system to Iran has been delayed by technical problems. 

Fomin, whose service controls Russian arms exports, made the comment during a defense exposition in New Delhi.  He did not indicate the nature of the technical problems or how long repairs would take.

As recently as Sunday, the deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, Vladimir Nazarov, said the S-300 contract must be implemented³.  It was signed in 2005. 

Israel and the United States have opposed the sale of the system, which Iran could use to defend a possible attack against its nuclear facilities. 

Announcement of the delay was made a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow.  The Israeli leader told Russia's Kommersant business daily he would not confirm whether he discussed delivery of any specific weapons systems in his talks with President Dmitri Medvedev.

The S-300 is a Soviet-era surface-to-air system designed to shoot down aircraft and cruise missiles.  Independent Russian military analyst⁴ Pavel Felgenhauer told VOA the missile would complement⁵ the longer-range S-200 and the TOR M1 system that operates at medium to very low altitudes.

Felgenhauer says the fact that Iran does not have the S-300 means it has a big hole in its air-defense system, which makes it impossible to defend against an attack, even by Israel.

Tel Aviv is concerned that an Iranian nuclear weapon could pose a direct threat to Israel.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reminded Iran it should stop its nuclear enrichment activity in accordance with a U.N. Security Council resolution.  Lavrov, currently on a tour of Latin America, also urged Tehran to accept an international offer to provide fuel for its nuclear-research reactors⁷.

Lavrov says the International Atomic Energy Agency proposed a plan in October of last year with France, the United States and Russia that would provide fuel for Iran's research reactor⁶, because its current supply is being used up.

In Moscow, Prime Minister Netanyahu called for crippling sanctions against Iranian imports and exports, including such refined oil products as gasoline. 

On Tuesday, Kremlin spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said the international community must be certain Iran's nuclear program is peaceful.  She added that if such obligations are not fulfilled, no one can rule out the use of sanctions against Iran.
 
 
 

1 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

6 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。

7 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。