The United States, which had refrained from criticizing Mr. Saleh even as his supporters fired on demonstrators, quietly dropped its support for him two months ago, viewing his position as no longer tenable and his value as a counterterrorism asset diminished by his declining power.
But Rouhani can still use his position as the public face of the Islamic republic to defend Rezaian, which he has refrained from doing, at least so far.
We assume, of course, that there is some depolymerization from the minus ends, but since we do not know which end is which, we have refrained from speculating directly on this point.
She was struck first by the humour of Ruhl's version – it's much funnier than she expected it to be, funnier, she suspects, than Sally Potter's opulent 1992 film version, in which Tilda Swinton starred, though she has refrained from watching this in full.
Even as inflation has crept up, the central bank has refrained from raising interest rates (which have not changed for 16 months) for fear of attracting more inflows.
The United States, by contrast, has refrained from intervening directly in Liberia, which was founded by freed American slaves, and has opposed an expanded United Nations role in Ivory Coast.
The U.S. EPA has refrained from establishing a date by which aircraft would be required to use unleaded fuel [AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) ePublishing staff 2010].
The Obama administration has refrained from calling the military intervention a coup, which could trigger an American law requiring a cutoff of aid to Egypt.
Should people be paid for each year in which they have refrained from cutting down trees?
The speaker has refrained ever since.
