Iran admits secret nuclear program



Iran confirmed March 6 that it initially developed its nuclear program in secret, going to the black market for material, and blaming its discretion on the U.S. sanctions and European restrictions that denied Iran access to advanced civilian nuclear technology.

Iran now openly admits that it has already achieved proficiency in the full range of activities involved in enriching uranium - a technology that can be used to produce fuel for nuclear reactors or an atomic bomb.

Washington has accused Tehran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies this, saying its nuclear program is merely geared towards generating electricity.

"True. There was secrecy," former president Hashemi Rafsanjani said. "But secrecy was necessary to buy equipment for a peaceful nuclear program."

"If sanctions had not been imposed on us, we would have declared everything publicly, but we had problems buying metal. Nobody sold us anything in the market," he said.

President from 1989-97, Rafsanjani also chairs the Expediency Council, a powerful body that arbitrates between the parliament and another council that vets legislation. He is believed to have a great influence over Iran's nuclear program.

Since last year Iran has publicly acknowledged that it once bought nuclear equipment from middlemen in south Asia.

Rafsanjani said Iran resorted to the black market because of political "injustice" by the U.S. and Europe.

He said Washington and the Europeans had approved the building of 20 nuclear power plants in Iran and provide advanced nuclear technology when Tehran was under the pro-Western Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the 1970s. But they reversed their positions following the 1979 Islamic revolution which toppled the Shah and brought the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power. (From AP, Edited by Shen Yang)

Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani(R), talks with Secretary of Supreme National Security Council and Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Hasan Rowhani, as they attend closing ceremony of a two-day international conference on nuclear technologies and sustainable development in the Iranian capital, Tehran, March 6, 2005.

 

 

World in Pictures
Photo source: ImagineChina

	Underwater cycling 德国:水下健身活动风靡 Women ride on underwater bicycles at the Alstersporthalle in Hamburg, Germany, March 9. The new sport originates from Italy and is said to increase the endurance of the heart and the body's circulatory system as well as strengthen a person's back, tummy, legs and bottom.
	Giant shoe 泰国:2米高巨鞋亮相街头 A Thai woman walks past a giant woman's shoe on display at a shopping center in Bangkok, March 10. The shoe measures 2 meters by 2.5 meters long and is to promote a new collection launch in Thailand.
	"Mozart" wears glasses 西班牙:"莫扎特"带上老花镜 A bronze statue of Austrian music genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) can be seen next to the Sevillian Theatre of La Maestranza, in southern Spain, where the composer appears reviewing a score, although today someone "funny" could have believed that at his age he could use a pair of reading glasses.
	Survive in icy water 俄罗斯:一运动员冰水中连续呆1小时 Russian athlete Karim Diab stands in an ice hole in the Moscow river, trying to set a new record of surviving in icy water for an hour without moving in Moscow, March 12. Diab, whose father is Syrian and mother Russian, has prepared for two years to become the first person to survive in icy water for an hour without moving, beating the previous record by over 15 minutes. A word on his forehead reads: "Peace".
	Highest altitude mailman 德国:为世界最高海拔邮差发行纪念邮票 Germany's "highest altitude" mailman, Andreas Oberauer, proudly shows a special issue stamp by the German Post on the subject of mail delivery in Germany on the Zugspitze mountain near Grainau, Germany, March 3. The stamp, which shows Oberauer delivering mail on the 2,964-meter high Zugspitze was released recently.

 

 

world in Words
Collected & translated by Beverly

"Even a simple discussion of a disagreement slows wound healing."
"哪怕是意见不和时的小争执都会减慢伤口的愈合速度. "

A study, reported at an American Psychosomatic Society meeting, reveals that marriage has an impact on health.
--美国心理学学会的一次会议上发表了一份研究,文中指出婚姻生活会影响健康状况.


"We will offer free tickets for subways, buses and 20 sites in the city for 11 days from Friday to anyone wearing a kimono."
"从星期五开始,我们将为所有身穿和服的人提供免费的地铁和公车车票,以及市内20个景点的门票,此次活动将持续11天. "

With the view of supporting the kimono, Japan's traditional but infrequently worn garment, Kyoto government will give free transport and site entry to anyone who wears a kimono.
--和服是日本的传统服装,但现在已少有人穿了. 为了宣传这一传统,京都市政府决定为所有身穿和服的人提供免费乘坐地铁和参观景点的机会.


"I saw Sidney Lumet out there, who's 80, and I thought, 'I'm just a kid.' "
"当我看到80高龄的西德尼·卢曼特还站在台上时,我就想,我还是一个小孩呢. "

Said the 74-year-old Clint Eastwood, the director of "Million Dollar Baby", in his thank-you speech at the 77th Academy Awards. He is the oldest director to win an Oscar.
--伊斯特伍德发表获奖感言时这样说道. 74岁的克林特·伊斯特伍德凭借《百万美元宝贝》捧回第77届奥斯卡最佳导演奖. 他是奥斯卡史上最年长的获奖导演.

 

Vocabulary
discretion 判断
sanction 制裁
proficiency 熟练
uranium 铀
impose 强加于
Tehran 德黑兰
arbitrate 仲裁
legislation 立法
resort to 诉诸于
reverse 颠倒
altitude 海拔