Leading the fight are the two titans of American foreign policy: the moderate and isolated Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and the hard-line Pentagon boss, Donald Rumsfeld.

CNN: Clash of the administration titans

In his own UN address, Barack Obama did not deviate from his previous line that diplomacy, as well as the sanctions that have isolated Iran and slashed its oil revenue, must be given more time to work.

ECONOMIST: Iran��s presidential and nuclear future is in doubt