Obama, Rouhani Stress Diplomacy But Do Not Meet
The presidents of the US and Iran suggest they can resolve their differences peacefully in dueling speeches at the UN General Assembly.
![UN-ASSEMBLY/ Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, September 24, 2013. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13YDW](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2013/09/Rouhani-a11.jpg/Rouhani-a11.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=meljRbTE)
The presidents of the United States and Iran traded relatively conciliatory speeches on Tuesday [Sept. 24] that included the most forthcoming remarks ever by a US president toward the Islamic Republic of Iran — among them, an explicit renunciation of “regime change.”
But Barack Obama and Hassan Rouhani did not “bump” into each other in the corridors of the United Nations or at a heads of state luncheon, disappointing those who sought a more tangible sign of high-level US-Iran rapprochement.