At the UN General Assembly, Obama condemns extremism, says there is only so much time to deal with Iran diplomatically

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At the UN General Assembly, Obama condemns extremism, says there is only so much time to deal with Iran diplomatically

In his last address to the UN General Assembly during his first term in office, President Barack Obama today took the podium to condemn extremism and violence around the world, congratulate those countries who are on the path to democracy, but warned the world that time to deal with Iran and its nuclear weapons program diplomatically is running out.

“We were inspired by the Tunisian protests that toppled a dictator, because we recognized our own beliefs in the aspirations of men and women who took to the streets,” he told delegates. “We insisted on change in Egypt, because our support for democracy put us on the side of the people.”

Obama also sought to highlight American support of leadership transitions in Yemen, “because the interests of the people were not being served by a corrupt status quo,” and in Libya, where a U.N. Security Council resolution allowed NATO jets to help “to stop the slaughter of innocents.”

But in what is expected to be among the main topics of this week’s meeting of world leaders, Obama declared that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must come to an end, and said he will support “sanctions and consequences” in the absence of that transition.

He also blasted Iran, whose president on Monday declared Israel has “no roots in the Middle East,” blaming it for “propping up a dictatorship in Damascus” and supporting terrorist groups abroad. Obama said that while the United States remains committed to a diplomatic solution on Iran’s nuclear program, “time is not unlimited.”

While Iranian leaders say their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, western leaders believe Tehran wants to build a nuclear weapon. U.N. inspectors also have expressed doubts about the program’s aims.

The consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran are immense, Obama told delegates.

“It would threaten the elimination of Israel, the security of Gulf nations, and the stability of the global economy. It risks triggering a nuclear-arms race in the region, and the unraveling of the non-proliferation treaty,” Obama said.

Via