President Barack Obama's executive order is designed to make it harder for Iran to evade existing sanctions. Tehran has been attempting to diversify the way it gets paid for oil sales, including by using gold and barter. Mr Obama's executive order also comes just as Congress prepares to vote this week on new legislation imposing even stricter sanctions on Iran. The bill will target any person or company which works with Iran's petroleum or natural gas sector. The move by the president seems to be an effort by the White House to show it's been just as tough on Iran as Congress.
总统巴拉克·奥巴马的行政命令意在使伊朗更加难以逃避现有的制裁。德黑兰一直设法寻找多样化的石油销售支付手段,包括使用黄金和实物交易。奥巴马的行政命令签署时,国会也准备本周就一项向伊朗实施更严厉制裁的新法律进行投票。这项法案针对任何与伊朗石油或天然气部门合作的个人或公司。总统此举似乎是白宫用来表示其在伊朗问题上与国会一样严厉。
The United Nations says that up to 18,000 people in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo have taken refuge in schools, mosques and other public buildings as fighting between government forces and rebels continues. Melissa Fleming from the UN refugee agency said some 7,000 people were sleeping in university dormitories as escape from besieged areas of the city has become too dangerous.