【慢速听力3 篇 】 US, Iran Appear to Avoid Military Conflict
No.1
AS IT IS
US, Iran Appear to Avoid Military Conflict
January 08, 2020
President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the White House on the ballistic missile strike that Iran launched against Iraqi air bases housing U.S. troops, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
American President Donald Trump says the United States did not have to necessarily answer Iran’s attack on American bases in Iraq.
Speaking at the White House Wednesday, Trump said, “No Americans were harmed in last night's attack by the Iranian regime… All of our soldiers are safe and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases."
The president added, “Our great American forces are prepared for anything. Iran appears to be standing down.” Trump also said that the U.S. will place more economic sanctions on Iran.
Iran fired missiles at U.S. airbases
Trump’s comment came after Iran fired 15 missiles at two airbases that house U.S. soldiers in Iraq. U.S. military officials said al-Asad and Erbil were targeted early on Wednesday.
The missile attacks were in answer to the U.S. killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani last week in Iraq.
Iranian government media said the attacks killed 80 “American terrorists” and damaged U.S. helicopters and military equipment. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the attacks a “slap on the face” of the U.S. and said American troops should leave the area.
Iran’s foreign minister said the country’s attacks were in self-defense and that Iran did not seek to increase hostilities.
The Associated Press reported that Iran appeared to have warned about the strikes. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said Iran told him that the missile attacks “would start soon” and would target only on U.S. positions. The militaries of Finland and Lithuania also said they received information about a coming attack and had time to move to shelters or leave the base.
Henry Rome is an Iran expert with Eurasia Group. He told the AP the attacks appeared designed to avoid human injury and any increase in hostilities.
“For a president who wants to avoid a war in the Middle East during an election year, the Iranians have provided an off-ramp he will likely take,” Rome said. Trump, who is facing reelection in November, has repeatedly said he wants to keep the U.S. from involving itself in “endless war.”
Tensions between U.S. and Iran
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have increased since Trump’s 2018 decision to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Last year, Iran shot down a U.S. military drone, seized several oil tankers and interfered with international ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. also blamed Iran for a September missile attack on a large Saudi Arabian oil processing center.
Recently, a large group of protesters attacked the outer edge of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. The embassy attack followed U.S. airstrikes that killed 25 Kataeb Hezbollah fighters, an Iranian-supported militia which operates in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. said it acted to answer the killing of an American defense contractor in Iraq.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke to the Iranian cabinet after the strikes on American bases. He said, "if America commits a crime, no matter how much she threatens us, she must know that we will act decisively as we have already shown."
I’m Ashley Thompson.
Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on reports from AP, Reuters and other sources. Caty Weaver was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
regime - n. a form of government
minimal - adj. very small in amount
sustain - v. to deal with or experience
stand down - phrasal verb, to leave a position
slap - v. to hit someone or something with an open hand
off-ramp - n. a short road that is used to slow down or leave
commit - v. to do something that is illegal or harmful
No.2
AS IT IS
Ukrainian Airplane Crashes near Iran’s Capital, Killing 176
January 08, 2020
Debris is seen from an Ukrainian plane which crashed as authorities work at the scene in Shahedshahr, southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Airline companies are changing flight paths throughout the Middle East following the deadly crash of a Ukrainian passenger plane in Iran Wednesday.
The crash killed all 176 people on the plane. It happened just hours after Iran attacked American bases in Iraq with ballistic missiles. No one was hurt in the strikes. The strikes were in answer to the U.S. killing last week of Iranian military official Qassem Soleimani.
The plane crashed minutes after leaving Tehran airport. Iranian officials said they believed a mechanical problem caused the crash. They have disputed suggestions that the plane was hit by a missile.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy cut short a visit to Oman to return to Kyiv following the crash. He said a team of Ukrainian experts would fly to Tehran to help investigate the crash. "Our priority is to find the truth and everyone responsible for the tragedy," Zelenskiy wrote in a Facebook statement.
The UIA flight was bound for Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, carrying 167 passengers and a crew of nine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said the dead included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons. Airline officials said most of the passengers were going to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, to change planes for other cities.
Later Wednesday, several European airline companies announced they were changing their routes to avoid Iranian airspace. The changes are expected to decrease air travel between Iran and Western Europe.
Air France and Dutch airline KLM both said Wednesday that they had suspended all flights over Iranian and Iraqi airspace. German airline Lufthansa also canceled flights to Iraq.
In North America, Air Canada changed its flight paths from Toronto to Dubai through Egypt and Saudi Arabia to avoid traveling over Iraq.
In Canada, Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Wednesday Canada’s “hearts are with the loved ones of the victims, including many Canadians.”
The Ukrainian president asked Ukraine International Airlines to begin a full inspection of all non-military airplanes in the country.
Iran’s Road and Transportation Ministry said it appears that one of the plane’s engines caught fire.
The plane was fully loaded with fuel for its 2,300-kilometer trip. It crashed near the town of Shahedshahr, just outside Tehran.
I’m Susan Shand.
The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
ballistic - adj. a type of missile that can travel very far
priority - n. something that is very important
No.3
AS IT IS
How Americans Decide to Go to War
January 08, 2020
US President Donald Trump speaks about the situation with Iran in the Grand Foyer of the White House in Washington, DC, January 8, 2020. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump defended his targeted killing of an Iranian general.
Qassem Soleimani was the head of Iran’s Quds Force. He died last Friday in a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport.
His death increased tensions in the area. Iran has already answered by firing missiles into Iraq. The missiles landed at two military bases that house U.S. troops.
No casualties from that attack were reported. Trump did not speak Wednesday about using additional military force against Iran. Instead, he said he would put more economic restrictions on the country.
But many American lawmakers are expressing concerns about open war between the two countries. They will vote this week on a measure to prevent U.S. military forces from taking action against Iran unless Congress approves.
How does the U.S. declare war?
The U.S. Constitution says Congress has the authority to declare war. And it says the president is the commander-in-chief of the military.
The men who wrote the Constitution divided these powers on purpose. They wanted to prevent one person or group from making a sudden move toward war without others in the government agreeing.
But lawmakers and the president have often clashed over how to operate within the rules of the Constitution. The last time Congress officially declared war was almost 80 years ago, during World War II. American military actions since then have happened without an official declaration of war.
In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Act to further define the president’s role in directing military actions. The law required that U.S. presidents had 38 hours to report to Congress after committing U.S. forces to military actions overseas. The president must also officially say why she or he is committing forces.
In 2001, lawmakers and the president worked together to create a resolution permitting actions to answer terrorist threats. It is called the Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF. The AUMF is unusual because it permits actions against groups or people, as opposed to nations or areas.
The resolution has created debate under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Trump. All three leaders have used the AUMF’s large definition of a terrorist threat to say military actions are needed.
What does Trump say?
Observers say Trump appears to be using his ability to strike under the War Powers Act, which permits the president to use military force to answer an attack. Trump’s government noted intelligence they say pointed to planned attacks on Americans as a reason for the airstrike.
In a tweet on Sunday, Trump wrote, “These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!”
How is Congress reacting?
Lawmakers from the opposition party to the president, the Democrats, have expressed concerns about how Trump’s government told lawmakers about the airstrike. Some want to require Trump to discuss increasing hostilities against Iran with Congress and the public before taking action.
For his part, Trump on Wednesday called on the security alliance of NATO to become “much more involved in the Middle East process.”
I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.
This report comes from the Associated Press and VOA. Kelly Jean Kelly adapted it for Learning English. George Grow and Caty Weaver were the editors.
______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
casualty - n. a person who is hurt or killed during an accident, war, etc.
authority - n. the power to give orders or make decisions : the power or right to direct or control someone or something
role - n. a part that someone or something has in a particular activity or situation
commit - v. to decide to use something for some particular purpose or use
disproportionate - adj. having or showing a difference that is not fair, reasonable, or expected : too large or too small in relation to something
nevertheless - adv. in spite of what has just been said
严重推荐：
1) 整理完毕，请收藏、分享 【动画英文版西游记】：1-108集
2) 精心收集,请收藏：【TED演讲】中英雙語字幕 222 篇 ===
5) 【总目录】美国总统