VOA慢速英语:Russia, Iran and the Missile Defense Issue

The next international talks on Iran’s nuclear program take place this month in Moscow. The talks come as Russia continues to oppose missile-defense plans designed to answer a possible nuclear threat from Iran.
针对伊朗核问题的下一次会谈将于本月在莫斯科举行。会谈举行时，俄罗斯仍在继续反对旨在应对伊朗核威胁的导弹防御计划。

The United States and the European Union believe that a goal of Iran’s uranium enrichment program is to possess nuclear weapons. The Iranian government says it only wants to use its enriched uranium for peaceful purposes, such as producing electricity.
美国和欧盟认为，伊朗的铀浓缩计划的目标是拥有核武器。伊朗政府则说，它只是想将高浓缩铀用于和平目的，例如发电。

Talks between Iran and six world powers have gone on for years. The six countries are the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
伊朗与六国之间的谈判已经持续多年。这六个国家是美国、英国、中国、法国、德国以及俄罗斯。

The latest two-day meeting took place in Baghdad last month. There was very little progress. Negotiators agreed to meet in Moscow in the middle of June.
上个月，最新一次为期两天的会谈于在巴格达举行，但进展甚微。谈判代表们同意六月中旬在莫斯科会面。

The common thinking is that Russian economic interests in Iran have led Russia to be a strong supporter of Iran. But many experts say Russia has taken a stronger position on Iran during the past few years.
一般认为，俄罗斯在伊朗的经济利益致使其成为伊朗的坚定支持者。但许多专家称，俄罗斯在过去几年对伊朗问题已经采取了更为强硬的立场。

Robert Legvold of Columbia University says one reason was what American officials have called the reset in relations with Russia. Mr. Legvold says that does not mean there are no disagreements between the United States and Russia over Iran. He says the possibility of some kind of military attack on Iran makes the Russians nervous.
哥伦比亚大学的Robert Legvold称，原因之一是美国官员曾经呼吁恢复俄美关系。Legvold先生称，这并不意味着在美国与俄国之间就伊朗问题没有分歧。他说，一些对伊朗进行军事攻击的可能性使得俄罗斯非常紧张。

ROBERT LEGVOLD: "And the Russians are very antsy about the idea of a military option, whether it’s Israel that executes it or whether it is some kind of a U.S. option, or the U.S. with Israel together. They also continue to push much harder on the diplomatic option rather than further tightening of sanctions.”
ROBERT LEGVOLD：“俄罗斯对选择军事行动这种想法坐立不安，无论是以色列来执行，还是美国，或是这两国一起。他们仍在继续推动更为艰难的外交努力，而不是进一步收紧制裁。”

But Russia has voted in the past for economic sanctions against Iran in the United Nations. And Stephen Cohen, professor emeritus at Princeton University and New York University, says that is not all Russia has done.
但是，俄罗斯过去在联合国投票支持对伊朗的经济制裁。普林斯顿大学和纽约大学的名誉教授Stephen Cohen称，这还不是俄罗斯做的所有事情。

STEPHEN COHEN: "Russia cancelled a deal it had with the Iranian government to supply it with anti-aircraft missiles, the kind of anti-aircraft missiles that Iran would need to defend itself if it was attacked by Israel or the United States, which remains, by the way, on at least the theoretical agenda. These were enormous concessions by Moscow.”
STEPHEN COHEN：“俄罗斯取消了一项与伊朗政府达成的，向伊朗提供防空导弹的协议。如果伊朗遭到以色列或美国的攻击，它需要此类防空导弹来保卫自己。顺便说一下，至少理论上存在这种可能。这是莫斯科的巨大让步。”

Experts say one area where Russia will not compromise is missile defense. This American-led idea is tied to the possible nuclear threat from Iran. The Obama administration has proposed deployment of anti-missile interceptors on navy ships at sea. There also would be land-based versions of these anti-missile missiles. Some would be sent to former Warsaw Pact countries in Eastern Europe.
专家称，俄罗斯不会妥协的一个领域是导弹防御系统。美国的这一主导思想是与可能来自伊朗的核威胁。奥巴马政府已经提出在海军舰艇上部署反导拦截系统。这种反导导弹还存在路基版。其中一些将被部署到东欧的前华沙条约国家。

Russia has always opposed American plans for a missile defense system in Europe. Russian officials see it as aimed against Russia. Robert Legvold at Columbia University says Russia’s main objection is tied to the last part of the missile defense plan. That part, known as Phase Four, is set for deployment in twenty-twenty.
俄罗斯一直反对美国在欧洲建立导弹防御系统的计划。俄罗斯官员认为它旨在针对俄罗斯。哥伦比亚大学的Robert Legvold说，俄罗斯主要反对的是导弹防御系统的最后一部分，及常说的第四阶段，它将于2020年开始部署。

ROBERT LEGVOLD: “The problem with Phase Four -- and we begin moving that way with Phase Three -- is that that is an intercontinental ballistic missile system designed to defend the entire continent, not merely what’s called theater systems, which is what the shorter-range systems are. And those, theoretically, depending on where they are deployed, could be something of a threat to the Russian nuclear deterrent.”
ROBERT LEGVOLD：“第四阶段以第三阶段为基础，第四阶段的问题在于，这是一种洲际弹道导弹系统，旨在保卫整个大陆，而不仅仅是一种被称为战区系统的短程导弹系统。从理论上来说，它可能威胁到俄罗斯的核威慑力量，这取决于它们部署在哪里。”

NATO leaders restated their support for the missile defense plan when they met last month in Chicago.
当北约领导人上月在芝加哥会面时，他们再次重申了对导弹防御系统的支持。