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Call With Obama Caps Rouhani's UN Charm Offensive

Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s new president, says his first visit to the United States exceeded his expectations, but he leaves many who met him puzzled about what he is really prepared to do.

Iran's President Hassan Rohani laughs as he speaks during an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations and the Asia Society in New York, September 26, 2013.  REUTERS/Keith Bedford (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX14198
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani laughs as he speaks during an event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations and the Asia Society in New York, Sept. 26, 2013. — REUTERS/Keith Bedford

NEW YORK – It was a week capped by an unprecedented phone call between the US and Iranian presidents, yet in the end, Iran’s Hassan Rouhani gave little indication of exactly what he would do to ease the long and bitter dispute between the two countries.

The Iranian President did make a far more positive impression than his predecessor and showed how he has managed to survive and even thrive in more than three decades at the helm of politics in the Islamic Republic.

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