Muted expectations for Obama, Rouhani meeting

WASHINGTON (AP) — One year ago, President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani came close to ending the decades-long freeze on face-to-face meetings between their countries’ leaders.

Next week both men are scheduled to again be in New York for United Nations meetings but expectations for even a handshake are more muted than they were last fall. While lower level officials from both countries are now in regular contact, deadlocked nuclear talks — as well as the complexities of the fight against militants in the Middle East — are clouding the prospects for an elusive leaders’ meeting.