Obama-Rouhani Meeting Anticipation

This morning, President Obama will address the U.N. General Assembly during its annual meeting of world leaders.  Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will also be delivering remarks, and there is anticipation that the two leaders will meet briefly to signal a desire to restart stalled nuclear proliferation talks and ease economic sanctions on Iran.  The two have exchanged letters recently, and there is hope that Rouhani will represent a departure from the aggressively hostile posture of previous Iranian governments.

Not unexpectedly, the Likudnik government of Israel wants to throw water on the whole scenario, and keep the threat of a military strike against Iran active.  Iran's support of Hamas and Hezbollah probably creates as much of a threat to Israel as what Iran may be developing in the nuclear arena, in that Israel's own estimated stockpile of 200 nuclear warheads should be enough of a deterrent to a first attack.