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Rouhani faces tougher audience at UN this year

With the nuclear crisis still unresolved, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is likely to emphasize Iran’s opposition to the Islamic State.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses a High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament during the 68th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 26, 2013.       REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES  - Tags: POLITICS)   - RTX140Q2

NEW YORK — When Iranian President Hassan Rouhani came to New York last year for his debut at the UN General Assembly, there was optimism that a fundamental shift between the United States and Iran was at hand.

Rouhani seemed the ideal interlocutor for the administration of President Barack Obama because of his stature as a pragmatic pillar of the Iranian regime, strong showing in presidential elections and record of diplomatic achievement when he was a top nuclear negotiator a decade ago.

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