VOA标准英语2013--New Talks Loom Over Iran's Nuclear Program

 

New Talks Loom¹ Over Iran's Nuclear Program

The last time Iran's nuclear negotiators met with their foreign counterparts, in Moscow in June, the talks did not go well. Both sides wanted their maximum demands met, and offered little in return.

While Tehran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, there is international concern Iran is moving closer to building a nuclear bomb. 

So the aim of the five United Nations permanent Security Council members and Germany is to persuade Iran to end its enrichment of uranium to near weapons grade in return for an easing of economic sanctions. Iran wants the sanctions lifted completely in return for small concessions² on the nuclear program.

"The only prospect³ for some sort of breakthrough arrives if we meet somewhere in the middle," said research fellow Shashank Joshi at London's Royal United Services Institute.

"It broadly requires the West to offer sanctions relief, although of a limited kind, not completely lifting sanctions, doing so in an incremental⁴, careful and reversible way, of course; and for Iran not to abandon enrichment but to place important limits on how and where it does it," he added.

Analysts⁵ say political leaders on both sides are reluctant to be seen as weak, however, on what has become a matter of pride and national security. Experts say that means reaching some sort of compromise will be difficult.

Still, Mark Fitzpatrick, who directs the non-proliferation program at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Iran's leaders are under increasing pressure to ease the growing pain caused by the sanctions.

"The pressure that's on the leadership is more in the form of internal discussions about 'isn't it time to readdress the question' because the entrepreneurs, the businessmen, they are hurting. And many of them are making it known that it's time to reconsider," said Fitzpatrick.

A slowdown of Iran's nuclear fuel enrichment program in the second half of last year eased concerns of a possible American or Israeli airstrike, but analysts believe Iran could soon resume the work, and may have done so already.

So with military action again a concern, the two sides are expected to try again at the negotiating table. But experts are not convinced that they are ready for the kind of compromise that could ease the tension long term, and end the talk of attacks. 

1 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

2 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

3 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

4 incremental   

adj.增加的

参考例句：

• For logic devices, the incremental current gain is very important. 对于逻辑器件来说，提高电流增益是非常重要的。 来自辞典例句
• By using an incremental approach, the problems involving material or geometric nonlinearity have been solved. 借应用一种增量方法，已经解决了包括材料的或几何的非线性问题。 来自辞典例句

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。