By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Growing international frustration with Washington over the war in Gaza spilled into the open at the U.N. General Assembly this week, with U.S. allies recognizing a Palestinian state in a major test for President Donald Trump's Middle East policy.

After promising at the start of his second term to quickly end the war between Israel and Hamas, Trump now looks increasingly like a bystander as Israeli forces escalate their onslaught in the Palestinian enclave and he remains reluctant to rein in Washington's closest regional ally.

Syria's new leader warned Tuesday that the Middle East would face a new round of tumult unless Israel reaches a security agreement with his transitional government that preserves sovereignty.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist whose forces swept out longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, is making a landmark visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

Sharaa again voiced hope for a security agreement with Israel, which has unleashed massive attacks as it takes advantage of a moment of weakness in its historic adversary.

By Gram Slattery and Kanishka Singh

UNITED NATIONS/ WASHINGTON (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday recognizing the state of Palestine does not amount to forgetting the October 2023 Hamas attack, with the French leader making his comments as he sat next to President Donald Trump in a bilateral meeting.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Trump has condemned moves by Western powers and U.S. allies, including France, to recognize a Palestinian state, saying such steps would reward "horrible atrocities" by Hamas militants.

KEY QUOTES

Qatar's ruler told world leaders Tuesday his country was continuing with its diplomatic efforts to broker an end to the war in Gaza despite Israel's strikes on targets in the Gulf country.

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani condemned at the UN Israel's "treacherous" strike on his country targeting Hamas leaders in the heart of a Doha residential community where they maintained a liaison office.

Qatar, along with Egypt and Washington, had led efforts to broker a comprehensive ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with several rounds of fruitless diplomacy executed in Doha.

(Reuters) -If U.S. President Donald Trump really wants to win the Nobel Peace Prize, he needs to stop the war in Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

Speaking to France's BFM TV from New York, Macron said that only Trump has the power to put pressure on Israel to end the war.

By John Irish and Parisa Hafezi

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Iran and European powers have agreed to continue talks about Tehran's disputed nuclear programme, the Iranian foreign ministry said on Tuesday, after a meeting to try to strike a last-ditch deal to avert the reimposition of U.N. sanctions.

The foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany - the so-called E3 - along with the EU's foreign policy chief held talks with their Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

US President Donald Trump could only win the Nobel Peace Prize if he stopped the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians over Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

Macron told BFMTV in an interview from the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York that "there is only one person who could do something in the current situation -- the American president."

DUBAI (Reuters) -Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that negotiations with the United States would not serve Tehran's interests and would prove a "dead-end".

In a recorded message, Khamenei also said Iran would not "surrender to pressure" regarding uranium enrichment and he reiterated Tehran's long-standing official position that it does not need nuclear weapons and has no intention of producing them.

(Reporting by Dubai NewsroomEditing by Gareth Jones)

By Antoine Demaison

MADRID (Reuters) -Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg on Tuesday challenged countries that have recognised a Palestinian state to back up what she called "symbolic gestures" with more pressure on Israel to end its offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Thunberg is attempting to reach Gaza on a flotilla of boats aiming to break Israel's naval blockade and deliver food and other humanitarian supplies to the shattered enclave.

ROME (Reuters) -Italy will recognise a Palestinian state only if all Israeli hostages are released and the Hamas militant group is excluded from any government role, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday.

"I am not against the recognition of Palestine, but we should set ourselves the right priorities," Meloni told reporters, announcing her government would present a motion to parliament on the issue.