Obama Says He Will Pursue Diplomacy on Iran and Syria Obama's U.N. Speech in 3 Minutes: Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama explained his positions on Syria and Iran, and the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. President Obama said on Tuesday that Iran's diplomatic overture in recent weeks could provide a foundation for an agreement on its nuclear program, but he warned that "conciliatory words will have to be matched by actions that are transparent and verifiable." Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Obama sounded a cautiously optimistic tone about the prospects for diplomacy, saying he had instructed Secretary of State John Kerry to pursue face-to-face negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program. "The roadblocks may prove to be too great," he said, "but I firmly believe the diplomatic path must be tested." Mr. Obama also called on the Security Council to pass a "strong" resolution that would impose consequences on Syria if it failed to turn over its chemical weapons. The American threat of military action against Syria, Mr. Obama said, set in motion diplomatic efforts with Russia to take over and eventually destroy Mr. Assad's weapons. "Without a credible military threat, the Security Council had demonstrated no inclination to act at all," the president said. If we cannot agree even on this, then it will show that the U.N. is incapable of enforcing the most basic of international laws. On the other hand, if we succeed, it will send a powerful message that the use of chemical weapons has no place in the 21st century, and that this body means what it says. Mr. Obama also announced that the United States would pledge an additional $340 million in humanitarian aid to help refugees from the civil war in Syria. And while he praised the diplomatic initiative by Russia on chemical weapons, he also said that the continuing support of Russia and Iran for the government of President Bashar al-Assad risked leading to further extremism in Syria. Mr. Obama's speech came at a time of swift, almost disorienting diplomatic developments, with the White House first threatening a military strike against Syria, then backing off, and then suddenly encountering a diplomatic opening with Iran on its nuclear program. Mr. Obama tried to take account of all of it, in a wide-ranging speech that echoed some of the themes of his address last spring on the changing American role in the world. "For the United States," he said, "these new circumstances have also meant shifting away from a perpetual war-footing." Part of the American recalculation, he said, involves restricting the use of drones in counterterrorism operations; transferring prisoners from the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and ultimately shutting it down; and rethinking broad surveillance activities. "Just as we reviewed how we deploy our extraordinary military capabilities in a way that lives up to our ideals," the president said, "we have begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so as to properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share." Mr. Obama emphasized three areas: the civil war and the use of chemical weapons in Syria, the prospect of diplomacy with Iran, and the Middle East peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, which has recently restarted under the prodding of Mr. Kerry. "The time is now ripe for the entire international community to get behind the pursuit of peace," he said. Already, Israeli and Palestinian leaders have demonstrated a willingness to take significant political risks. But much of Mr. Obama's focus was on when the United States would use its power in the Middle East. Acknowledging that his reversal on Syria had prompted uneasiness in the region about American resolve, Mr. Obama insisted that the United States would still act to protect its interests and, in some cases, to avert humanitarian tragedies. "The United States of America is prepared to use all elements of our power, including military force, to secure these core interests in the region," he said. We will confront external aggression against our allies and partners, as we did in the Gulf War. Somini Sengupta, Michael R. Gordon and Rick Gladstone contributed reporting. Correction: September 24, 2013 An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of former President Jimmy Carter's wife. She is Rosalynn Carter, not Rosalyn.