VOA标准英语2012--US Wants Iraq to Block Iran Weapons Sales to Syria

US Wants Iraq to Block Iran Weapons Sales to Syria

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is one of the last major suppliers of military intelligence and weapons to embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. officials say Iran's support for the Syrian government, along with help from Russia, is one of the biggest reasons that President Assad has survived a year-long uprising. Most of those Iranian weapons are flown to Syria through Iraq, which also supports Assad. 

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland says Baghdad should prevent the shipments.

"We are making the point that any export of arms or related materials from Iran, frankly¹, to any destination would be a violation² of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1747, and that any arms sent to the Syrian regime at this time would obviously be used in the brutal³ repression⁴ that the regime is exacting⁵ on its own people," said Nuland.

Foreign policy analyst⁶ Malou Innocent says Iran enhances its regional power by supporting President Assad.

"Assad's government has been seen as a sort of an arm of the Iranian government in terms of assisting proxy⁷ forces in Lebanon through Hezbollah and also with Hamas," said Innocent.

In Lebanon, supporters of Sunni cleric Ahmad al-Assir oppose Iran's involvement in Syria because they say it undermines Lebanese security. 

''When we started our movement, many people told us, 'We agree there is injustice⁸ in Syria, but we are afraid,'" al-Assir noted⁹. "When I asked them why, they say they are afraid of the allies of Syria, like Hezbollah."

Iran says clerics such as al-Assir and Saudi calls to arm Syria's opposition¹⁰ show the need for Tehran's Shia leaders to back President Assad against a Sunni-led power grab.

"There has certainly been a sharpening division between Shia and Sunni blocks within the region. We have seen that now play out not only in Libya and in Syria and Iran, but also in Bahrain and in Yemen," added Innocent.

Iraqi officials say they have no interest in helping¹¹ Iran prolong Syria's uprising as Syrian refugees from the conflict come to Iraqi Kurdistan. U.S. officials say senior members of the government in Baghdad have expressed a commitment to ensure that Iraqi territory and airspace are not used as a transit¹² point for Iranian weapons to Syria. 

1 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

2 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

3 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

4 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。

5 exacting   

adj.苛求的，要求严格的

参考例句：

• He must remember the letters and symbols with exacting precision.他必须以严格的精度记住每个字母和符号。
• The public has been more exacting in its demands as time has passed.随着时间的推移，公众的要求更趋严格。

6 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。

7 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

8 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 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。

11 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。

12 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。