President Barack Obama will make the case for diplomacy and collective action highlighting U.S. - led efforts in the Middle East when he addresses the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.
A White House official said Obama will point to the recently completed nuclear deal between the P5+1 and Iran as an example of "what can be accomplished by international cooperation when nations are held accountable for violating international rules, and principled diplomacy is pursued to achieve our objectives."
The U.S. president also will address the conflict in Syria, calling for the need to couple military efforts against the Islamic State militant group "with a commitment by all nations to seek and support a political resolution" in the war-torn country.
Obama administration officials have repeatedly said that such a political transition cannot occur as long as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remains in power. That issue is expected to be a focus of Obama's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Monday.