Washington ( CNN ) -- With a potential diplomatic solution at hand in Syria and new signs emerging that Iran may be willing to halt its nuclear program , President Barack Obama will provide an updated assessment of the American approach to the Middle East during the annual United Nations General Assembly that begins Monday in New York . Obama currently is not slated to meet with Iran 's new president , Hassan Rouhani , though the White House has not ruled out face-to-face diplomacy between the two leaders . Obama and Rouhani exchanged letters in the months since the Iranian president was elected in June , and on Friday Rouhani wrote in an opinion piece he was open to `` a constructive approach '' toward areas of contention with the United States , including its nuclear program . `` The fact of the matter is , we do n't have a meeting scheduled with President Rouhani , but again , we 're always open to diplomacy if we believe it can advance our objectives , '' Obama 's deputy national security adviser , Ben Rhodes , told reporters during a conference call Friday , adding that Obama has said since 2007 that he 'd be willing to negotiate directly with Iran without preconditions . In addition to the letters with Obama and an op-ed piece in Friday 's Washington Post , Rouhani has granted interviews to western news outlets , including one with CNN next week . `` We must work together to end the unhealthy rivalries and interferences that fuel violence and drive us apart , '' Rouhani wrote in the Post Friday . Publicly , the White House has viewed Rouhani 's latest outreach attempts skeptically , saying U.S. officials will look for actions , not words , on halting nuclear enrichment . Rhodes said Friday that Rouhani 's actions to date were `` clearly not sufficient to meet the concerns of the international community with regards to the nuclear program . '' But the charm offensive , apparently sprung from tough economic sanctions currently in place in Iran , prompted speculation that Obama and Rouhani would meet at next week 's U.N. general assembly . If they did , it would be the first meeting between an American president and Iranian counterpart since Iran 's 1979 Islamic Revolution . `` I ca n't predict every interaction that might take place at different levels at the U.N. ; it 's possible that there could be some interaction at different levels , but there 's just simply none planned at this moment , '' Rhodes said later when asked if there were any scheduled meetings between members of the American and Iranian delegations . Obama will hold bilateral meetings next week with the leaders of Nigeria and Lebanon , as well as with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas -- the first time the two have met since direct Mideast peace negotiations restarted earlier this year . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to visit the White House at the end of September . During his address to the U.N. on Tuesday , Obama will use events in the Middle East and Africa to explain the evolving role of the United States in that area of the world , Rhodes said Friday . `` Given the complexity and breadth of challenge that we face in the region , the president will lay out an update of America 's approach , how we see our interests , how we 're going to be pursuing and prioritizing our policies going forward , '' he said . That address will include a section on Syria , and the use of chemical weapons there . The United States and Russia recently agreed on a diplomatic plan that would force Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to forfeit his chemical weapons stockpile to international control . And Obama will reiterate his stance on Iran 's nuclear program , while conveying his `` openness to diplomacy and the prospect for a peaceful resolution of this issue , '' Rhodes said .
The U.N. General Assembly begins Monday in New York . President Obama will speak on Tuesday . He is not slated to meet with Iran 's new president but the White House has not ruled it out . A meeting would take place amid signs Iran may be willing to restart its nuclear program .