situation where the assad regime were to collapse. and in fact, the assad regime has suffered losses in recent days. if putin is to be taken as face valuabl value, he's calling for enforcement of the assad regime. something that is unlikely to happen. >> we'll bring someone in the discussion, th a former british diplomat, what did you hear? what stood out from vladimir putin's speech. >> i'm fired by the sub text of these speeches, tones that are not explicit but are there. the beginning of his speech referred back to the second world war. you felt a kind of tone of regret that those were the good ol' days when the soviet union was on top of the world, and we had a state-based order. >> he has said many times

something that he finds very regretful is the break up of the soviet union. he has said that many times. >> yes, more than the dominance of the soviet union, when you hear the talk at the u.n. that speech was not an exception because it's the general assembly, but they often talk of that, and the united states seems to be their reference point. it's an interesting tone to hear. it was something interesting and sad in preference to russian efforts. you talked about the eurasia community and the silk road, no one is picking up on these suggestions, even the china who is supposed to be their allies

didn't talk about this. so you have these almost like he was talking to an empty hall, people are not that interested. >> going back to what you were saying before that russia is not the global power that it was before, not the global leader, they can't set the agenda the way they used to. >> i think that is very true. when you listen to xi jinping or president obama you realize that the things they're talking about, and the initiatives they're taking are very likely to happen. people have to take it serious seriously. when putin said that man needs to place its life in nature. yada, yada. do we think he'll do it? no, we don't. >> as we listen to conservatives here in the united states, they don't talk about russia that way, as if they're just a regional power. they still speak of russia as the concern that the united states should have for russia as if they are the global power

they once were. >> central italy there are conservatives who oppose what the president has done and called it feckless in his foreign policy. they do prop up russia still being a were power, and it's interesting that president obama has spoke so dismissively and publicly about vladimir putin and russia's military capability, dismissing them as a mere regional power, not a superpower, and speaking personally about vladimir putin as the kid in the class with who is moping and not paying attention to the teacher. those are extraordinary public statements about the leader of russia. but again, isn't it remarkable that we're talking about the motivation of vladimir putin, and many within russia to restore a lost empire and the sore and lingering feelings they have about the way the soviet union came to an end, and their effort to restore the luster of empire as a motivator in the way they're acting on the world stage. really remarkable, and to hear vladimir putin talk about the

situation in libya, something that was said to motivate him back to the presidency. he felt that there was an acquiesced operation in lib y as president obama noted was something of a mess, and the intervention by the united states in iraq beginning in 2003 that has lady to the dissolution and chaos that we see now with former iraqi service men serving now in the isil forces. putin leaving no criticism unturned here and proposing a new way forward in iraq and syria. >> mike, we're going to take our viewers back inside to let them see what is happening on the floor of the unga. the the korean leader speaking now.

hasan rouhani of iran, and the emir of qatar, all will be back-to-back. we'll bring that you live. in the meantime we'll take a quick break. keep it here as we cover the 70th meeting of the u.n. general assembly.

>> right now on the floor of the united nations after a tree busy morning. we've already heard from president barack obama, the president of china, and russian president vladimir putin. now we're hearing from the leader of south korea. and then up next right in a role

we'll hear from hassan rouhani, and françois hollande, and the emir of qatar. as we talked about vladimir putin, let's pivot now to iran's president had a sass rouhan hasan rouhani. tell me some of your thoughts what do you think hasan rouhani needs to say on the stage. >> there will be intense scrutiny about what he says about the iran deal particularly here in the u.s. you can imagine every republican critic of the deal looking for words that could be used to show that the iranians are not fully committed to it. >> can he win anybody over at this point? >> i don't know, because you know, it's not just him who is

contributing to the rhetoric from iran. it is the grand ayatollah who has spoken about the deal in somewhat disparaging terms. >> the fact that there would be no deal if the sanctions were merely suspended and not outright lifted. >> quite, and that's putting some conditionality on the deal that was not agreed in geneva. so people will be listening carefully to what rouhani will say, although i don't imagine he'll say anything than iran is committed to the deal, we're a country of rules, and it will be implemented as agreed. the other issue that people will be listening carefully to him will be syria, where one can expect him to echo the russian line about the importance of fighting isil as being the priority. it's not a conscious echo. i think they have been discomforted by these new russian moves in syria, but this has been the iranian position of longstanding. they're fighting isil not only in syria, but also in iraq. where.

>> president bush during his speech earlier, i don't have the quote in front of me, but i think i can paraphrase it saying that you can't keep saying death to israel. that does not create jobs. who is the audience for that comment? >> well, it's iran. definitely the u.s. it was an ey an appeal, which has been a consistent line of american diplomacy on iran and, indeed, any country to which there is hostile to the government. it's your people that matter, and we would love to cooperate with your people. this is a familiar approach on iran. i have to say one thing that i'm finding strike something that nobody is talking about israel-palestine. nobody. i'm not sure that anybody has mentioned it. president obama did not mention it, which i find very striking.

normally he mentions it i that the u.s. supports a two-state, and i feel that his administration has lost interest in this issue, and has given up any attempt in formulating any solution to it. >> do you anticipate any leaders will bring it up. >> well, i think israel will bring it up, and the palestinian mahmood abbas, and i think iran will speak about it. traditionally they have. and they've been very traditionally very hostile towards israel. but under this administration in iran, and you can expect arab leaders to talk about it, but they do it in for formulaic terms which does not help us move forward. >> the issue of a reporter being held in iran, the discussion has

been held before. and there are conservatives who said that the iran deal should not have been made if something like this had not been dealt with. it still has not been dealt with. do you think it will be dealt with. >> you can guarantee that it will be talked about. whether in formal context in the corridors or formal meetings, there have long been discussions like this, american prisoners in iran, and there has been a long history of this. what is happening will definitely be raised by the americans with the iranians. >> we appreciate all you have done with us this morning in this session of the unga. it's halfway done, but you explained how these things go. they get 15 minutes, but rarely do they stick with 15 minutes. thank you very much. we appreciate it. the executive director of th direct we're expecting as you

said just a moment ago ahmad, to be hearing from the president of iran. hasan rouhani in just a moment. what would you like to hear from him? >> thank you for having me. hasan rouhani's appearance tod today's peach will focus on three major points. one is the instability in the middle east, the fight against isis or daesh, and of course, we have the second issue will be the implementation of the nuclear deal that was brokered in july, and what that phasing will occur. number three, which is will be very important for us to hear will be his comments and views on moving forward within the u.s.-iran following this break on the nuclear deal. i believe these will be the three points. i would like to hear from him, and we're looking forward to his comments. >> he will likely have multiple

audiences. how does he cover those different audiences? >> i'm so sorry, can you repeat that? >> i said he'll likely have multiple audiences that he has to get different messages to, how will he deal with that? >> well, very good point. of course, hasan had a ran an hasan rouhani has to address how the deals will have an effect on iran's dependence on the relation with the world and in terms what iran seeks to do in the near future in terms of opening up it's economy, it's relationship, and to restart its regional relations, of course, with saudi arabia, turkey, and iraq. and wider world. so it will be quite interesting to see how he balances in terms

of his comments to address the concerns of the conservative body in iran and at the same time to give hope for those who are seeking a better future for the iranians people, of course, the economy itself. >> if i can get you to hold off for just a moment. we want to bring in another angle. iran's shift towards improved relations with the west could be attributed to its more moderate president hasan rouhani, a key cornerstone of his campaign and improved relationship with the world. closer to home rouhani promised to improve jobs. let's see how he has done halfway through his term. >> the election of moderate hasan rouhani in 2013 had iranians dancing in the streets. he had won on the promise he would priority prioritize iran's economy over it's in yo nuclear program. talks with the west had gone

nowhere. by the end o mahmood ahmadinejad's term. >> in those eight years he brought huge damage to the iranian economy. >> but two years into rouhani's presidency, analysts say he has started to fix those problems in large part by reaching out to the west including a now famous phone call with the american president barack obama, the first direct contact between the two countries' leaders in three decades. >> i do believe there is a basis for a resolution. >> that resolution came in july when iran and six world powers led by the u.s. reached their historic nuclear deal. iran will forego pursuing nuclear weaponry and get billions in sanction relief without having to give up purs pursuing nuclear energy. >> it has been written clearly in the text of this agreement that iran continue it's

enrichment, and now i announce to the people of iran, that enrichment will continue in the same way as before. >> rouhani's willing t willingness to deal, the value of iran's currency is up. if the nuclear deal stays on track and sanctions are lifted, the iranian treasury will soon collect over $100 billion in oil revenues that have been frozen in overseas banks. mr. rouhani needs that money to fully deliver on his promise of a better economy before he can focus on bigger goals, including overcoming hard line opposition to win a second term as president. john henry smith, al jazeera. >> we can go back out to ahmad, so the u.s. has had--president barack obama has had what some would call success in these

negotiations in the nuclear deal. but the supreme leader of iran has ruled out any further negotiation beyond the nuclear deal, and has not been very receptive about that. so what does that say about any further progress in relation between iran and the u.s.? >> she sat down on a bilateral basis, this is already a major progress. now, they're not going to be able to settle all of their differences overnight, and i think the implementation of a nuclear deal is a test on the willingness on both sides to take it seriously to have one major success there would be the testing, and if this goes well i'm sure those within the

iranian leadership who have been pretty much in the pessimistic about expanding the talks to include other issues of concern will be more willing once there is a complete and successful implementation of the nuclear deal to then move onto some other pressing issues including regional security. >> president obama this morning has already spoke about syria. vladimir putin has as well. they are going to be meeting this afternoon to discuss syria. could we expect to hear president rouhani give some thought about syria as well? >> definitely. syria is important for iran and important for the security of the middle east, iran has been voicing concern over the years there is only a political solution to the syrian conflict. iran has vested interest in the stabilization of syria. it is an asset and appl and ally in the region.

they want to discuss what to do moving forward. first and foremost they need to defeat daesh or isil in syria. doing that in a collective way we can lead on in a political track in terms of what to do with the political situation in syria where there will be more of a collective voices of opposition, and also the assad government in coming up with a compromise moving forward. >> can we also expect president rouhani to talk about the situation in critical as well? >> yes, th the saudi coalition in yemen has caused another troubled front in this region. whatever the aims from of the saudi in yemen, they have not achieved it, rather they have created another failed state in the middle east. iran, once again, has been seeking for a collectsive security measure to come to a

common understanding on how to address these challenges from yemen, iraq, even lebanon in the coming months, and possibly the situation in syria, how we can actually move forward. it is an interest of all nations including iran and showing concern of what saudi did in yemen is unacceptable in creating another instability in another important area. >> what about the release of the american dual citizenship the "washington post" reporter, will president rouhani finally have to answer for that? >> i'm so sorry. >> i said what about the release of the american who has dual citizenship, will president rouhani have to answer for that? >> definitely. i think--i actually saw president rouhani in the last few days, and this question came up over and over again.

i know what he will answer. he'll say this is in the handed of the judiciary. the judiciary is independent, and they'll go through the course of the process. i know president rouhani, if it was in his power, he would have released some of those americans who have dual citizenship with iran. there are many iranians in u.s. jails who they feel are jailed unnecessarily and there is a tit for tat. >> on the floor of the u.n. assembly, he is now about to be introduced. he's about to take the seat. i'll stop speaking, and i want you to stay close. >> president of the islamic rubble of iran, and to invite

him to address the assembly. >> in the name of god, and peace and greetings to prophet muhammad, and his true companions. mr. president, attendees. i'm speaking on behalf of a great nation, who is mourning the loss of thousands of muslim pilgrims and hundreds of its own citizens, old, young, men and women who have come together in the grand and global spiritual

gathering of the hajj, but unfortunately fell victims to the incompetence and mismanagement of those in charge. due to their unaccountability even the missing cannot be identified and the expeditious return of the bodies of the deceas deceased to their mourning families have been prevented. the scope of a calamity in which thousands of independent people from the four corners of the world have been killed and wounded is so proud that it cannot be dealt with as a natural disaster or local issue, the pain and emotional distress inflicted on millions of muslims is greater than what can be

repaired nearly through material calculations. public opinion demands that saudi arabiaen officials promptly fulfill their international obligations and grant immediate consular access for the expeditious identification and return of the cherished bodies and remains. more over, it is necessary that the conditions are prepared for independent and precise investigation into the causes of this disaster, and ways of preventing its repetition in the future. mr. president, distinguished secretary general, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, i am speaking on behalf of a nation

that two years again voted for constructive engagement with the world, and now i can proudly announce that today a new chapter has started with the nation with the world. two years ago the people of iran in a competitive election with their votes gave me a mandate for consolidating peace and constructive engagement with the world while pursuing national rights, interests, and security this national will manifested itself through a careful and clear diplomatic effort, which resulted in the joint comprehensive plan of action between the islamic republic of iran and six world powers, which was immediately turned into an international instrument with the ratification of the united

nations security council. from the standpoint of international law this instrument sets a strong precedence where for the first time two sides rather than negotiating peace after warren gauged in dialogue and understanding before the eruption of conflict. we had decided to bring about a new environment while maintaining our principles and we succeeded in doing so. where necessary we move forward, and where necessary we show the courage for flexibility. in each point we made use of the full capacity of international

law and showcased the potentials of constructive dialogue. the key point regarding the success of dialogue is the fact that any actor in the international system who pursues maximummist demands and does not provide space for the other side cannot speak of peace, stability and development as in commerce and economic activity where the interests of both parties should be taken into account in politics and international relations as well as multi lateralism and win-win solutions should be the basis of engag engagement. mr. president, the united nations was established to

sustain global peace and security after two world wars. but, unfortunately, it must be said that in most cases this important international institution has not been successful or effective. this time, however, the united nations made the right decision though we protest the adoption of unfair resolutions against the republic of iran as a result of miss understandings, however, we brief as an old iranian saying goes, the sooner you start, the more bent you will reap. today is the very day that harm is fought. security council resolution

2231, despite shortcomings and the basis for terminating sanctions imposing resolutions gene against iran we consider unfair the conduct of the security council in the past and insist that iran, due to the important of its leader, and defense doctrine, has never had the intention of producing a nuclear weapon, and therefore sanctioned resolutions against iran were unjust, and illegal. sanctions by the security council and unilateral sanctions by some countries were based on elusive and baseless allegations and created difficult conditions for our people. but these sanctions never in any way effected the policy that we adapted and the approach we took towards negotiations.

there is nothing on iran's table other than logic, ethics and were legitimate self defense against any kind of aggression.