US President Barack Obama will step onto the world stage on Tuesday just long enough to address simmering crises centered on Iran, Syria and the broader Muslim world - and he will then jump quickly back on the campaign trail.
Obama's UN visit also comes at a time of mounting tensions over Iran's nuclear program.
He has refused demands from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to set an explicit "red line" for Tehran. Signaling that a rift remains between the two close allies, Obama said in a interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" program that he would ignore "noise that's out there" and make decisions based on US interests.
Underscoring the depth of the problem, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in New York on Monday that Israel has no roots in the Middle East and would be "eliminated," ignoring a UN warning to avoid his usual incendiary rhetoric ahead of the annual General Assembly session.
The White House quickly dismissed the comments by Ahmadinejad, who will address the assembly on Wednesday, as "disgusting, offensive and outrageous." Obama will use his speech to renew a warning that Iran will not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, and his words will be scrutinized to see how far he goes in sharpening his tone. |