VOA标准英语2010年-US Cites Progress In Curbing Iranian O

The Iran sanctions announcement was the second from the State Department in two days, and reflects a stepped-up U.S. effort to try to prod¹ Iran back to nuclear talks with economic pressure.

Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg told reporters that the United States has gotten commitments from four European oil companies to terminate investments and avoid any new activities in Iran's energy sector².

He said the four companies, Total of France, Statoil of Norway, ENI of Italy, and Royal Dutch Shell of Britain, would thus be spared from far-reaching financial penalties - authorized³ by the U.S. Congress in June - against companies operating in the United States that do business with Iran.

At the same time, Steinberg said the Obama administration will impose sanctions against the Naftiran Inter-trade Company, or NICO, a Swiss-based subsidiary of Iran's state oil company.

State Department officials acknowledged that the sanctions, barring U.S. business dealings with the company and freezing any U.S. assets it may have, will have little or no practical impact on NICO.

However, Steinberg said the blacklisting will discourage others from doing business with the firm. He said the growing web of U.N. Security Council and other nuclear-related sanctions against Iran is having an impact, despite denials from Iranian officials.

"What we most care about is how Iran responds to this in terms of its preparedness to engage in negotiations," said Steinberg. "Our goal, as I said, is not sanctions for sanctions sake, but to make clear to Iran that there are costs for the path they are pursuing. But I think we have pretty good indications that - not just in the energy sector but across-the-board - that whether it's in the financial sector, whether it's in shipping⁴ or transportation - that these measures are increasingly having a significant impact on Iran."

Steinberg said the administration is conducting investigations⁵ of other foreign firms that have not yet pledged to stop doing business in Iran.

He also said the United States is urging other countries to bar their oil companies from stepping in and replacing the European firms that have promised to sever⁶ Iranian ties.

On Wednesday, the Obama administration announced targeted sanctions against eight Iranian political figures including the country's Revolutionary Guards Corps⁷ commander, for political repression⁸ in the aftermath of disputed elections last year.

The travel and financial penalties, recently authorized by an act of Congress, are the first imposed by the United States for human rights abuses.

Steinberg said he discussed Iran's "destabilizing activities" in the Middle East, including threats against Israel, in a meeting earlier Thursday with Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mekdad.

U.S. contacts with Syria have increased in recent weeks, including a Damascus visit by U.S. Middle East envoy⁹ George Mitchell and a New York meeting last Friday between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.

Steinberg said improvement in the strained U.S.-Syrian relationship requires, among other things, Syria taking a stand against what he termed "unacceptable" behavior by its Iranian ally.

1 prod   

vt.戳，刺；刺激，激励

参考例句：

• The crisis will prod them to act.那个危机将刺激他们行动。
• I shall have to prod him to pay me what he owes.我将不得不催促他把欠我的钱还给我。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

4 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

5 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

6 sever   

v.切开，割开；断绝，中断

参考例句：

• She wanted to sever all her connections with the firm.她想断绝和那家公司的所有联系。
• We must never sever the cultural vein of our nation.我们不能割断民族的文化血脉。

7 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 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。

9 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。