President Trump is in New York City for a week of meetings and speeches with foreign leaders amid global uncertainty about a nuclear North Korea. 
 
 Trump's Monday will be packed with meetings, leading up to his first-ever speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday — a highly anticipated address in which the president is expected to discuss the specific threats of North Korea, Iran and global terrorism. 
 
 The president's schedule also includes meeting with representatives from more than 120 nations, as well as U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, to discuss reforming the international organization. Trump has been highly critical of the U.N., and the U.S. is backing changes it hopes will make the organization more efficient and effective. 
 
 The president will then meet with leaders from France and Israel with an expected focus on the Middle East — and Iran in particular — for what national security adviser H.R. McMaster has called that country’s “destabilizing behavior” in the region. 
 
 Trump will close out his first day of meetings at a working dinner with Latin American leaders to discuss the crisis in Venezuela, as well as how to maximize economic partnerships between the U.S. and South America. 
 
 Along the way, the threats posed by North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and global terrorism in the wake of an attack at a London subway station figure to be hot topics of discussion. 
 
 Here are four things to watch for during Trump's visit: 
 
 U.S. pushes for reforms to the U.N. 
 
 The Trump administration has not been shy about expressing its discontent with the U.N. 
 
 The White House believes the U.S. pays too much for what it gets in return and that peacekeeping missions should be examined for excessive spending. Administration officials have described the U.N. as a bloated bureaucracy and have expressed anger by what they view as insufficient support for key allies, like Israel. 
 
 Trump appears to have an ally for reform in Guterres, who assumed the role of secretary general in January. 
 
 U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley Nimrata (Nikki) HaleyMedicare administrator violated Hatch Act, says watchdog group The Hill's 12:30 Report — Trump touts Iran sanctions with 'Game of Thrones' meme | 4 days to midterms | Toss-up races key to Senate battle | Strong October jobs report The Hill's Morning Report — Presented by PhRMA — Congress faces crush of November deadlines MORE said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that she is happy with the direction the U.N. has taken in recent weeks, noting that “Israel bashing” has declined and that the U.N. has passed new sanctions on North Korea. 
 
 “It is a new day at the U.N., and I think that the pleas [Trump] made in terms of trying to see change at the United Nations have been heard,” Haley said. 
 
 “We said we needed to get value for our dollar, and what we're finding is that the international community is right there with us in support of reform," she added. 
 
 Disagreements over how to deal with Iran 
 
 Trump will meet with leaders from Israel and France to discuss Iran on Monday as the administration steps up its rhetoric against Tehran. 
 
 “While their conversations will be wide-ranging, we expect that Iran's destabilizing behavior, including its violation of the sovereignty of nations across the Middle East, to be a major focus,” McMaster said at a press briefing on Friday. 
 
 The White House has until mid-October to notify Congress of whether it believes Iran is in compliance with the nuclear deal brokered by the Obama administration. 
 
 British Prime Minister Theresa May has sought to stress the importance of that deal in private meetings with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Rex Wayne TillersonChina is investing in Latin America, and the US is jealous No easy future for Saudi relations Trump’s anti-caravan efforts follow decades of regional frustration MORE. 
 
 However, Tillerson’s view is that while Iran may technically be keeping to the terms of the deal, that the country has violated the spirit of the agreement through a litany of other “destabilizing activities in the region.” 
 
 “Since the nuclear deal has been concluded what we have witnessed is Iran has stepped up its destabilizing activities in Yemen. It's stepped up its destabilizing activities in Syria. It exports arms to Hezbollah and other terrorist groups. And it continues to conduct a very active ballistic missile program,” Tillerson said Sunday on CBS News's "Face the Nation." 
 
 “None of that, I would believe, is consistent with that preamble commitment that was made by everyone," he said. 
 
 Unrest in Venezuela 
 
 Trump will close out Monday at a working dinner with Latin American leaders, where the focus is expected to be unrest in Venezuela. 
 
 The U.S. is asking questions about the legitimacy of President Nicolás Maduro’s election victory over the summer. The country has been racked by violent anti-government protests, as well as currency instability and food and medical shortages. 
 
 The U.S. slapped new economic sanctions on the country and is banning American companies from “participating in Maduro’s liquidation of the Venezuelan economy.” 
 
 While Trump discusses those challenges with Venezuela’s neighbors, Haley said at a Friday press conference the president is “unlikely” to speak with Maduro directly. 
 
 “As you know, the United States designated President Maduro after he victimized his own people, denied them their rights under his own constitution,” Haley said. “And I think as the president has made clear, he’s willing to talk at some point in the future, but it would have to be after rights are restored to the Venezuelan people.” 
 
 Finding the right balance on North Korea 
 
 While Trump doesn’t have meetings on Monday that will focus directly on North Korea — he will speak with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in later in the week — the administration will be seeking support for what Tillerson is calling the United States’ “peaceful pressure campaign” from world leaders. 
 
 The U.N. recently passed two rounds of sanctions against North Korea, and the Trump administration will be seeking to galvanize the isolated country’s regional neighbors, including Russia and China, against it. 
 
 Tillerson has said that despite Trump’s “fire and fury” rhetoric, the U.S. is committed to a diplomatic solution. 
 
 “I'm waiting for the regime of North Korea to give us some indication that they're prepared to have constructive, productive talks,” Tillerson said Sunday. 
 
 Haley, however, has spoken more boldly about the potential for U.S. military action. 
 
 "We wanted to be responsible and go through all diplomatic means to get their attention first,” she said Sunday on "State of the Union.” “If that doesn't work, [Defense Secretary James] Mattis will take care of it.” 
 
 "If North Korea keeps on with this reckless behavior, the United States has to defend itself or defend its allies anyway,” Haley continued. “North Korea will be destroyed, and we know that and none of us want that. None of us want war.” 
 
 Trump does not have a meeting on the books with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the administration will be looking to pressure the Asian power where it can. 
 
 Speaking Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Tom Cotton Thomas (Tom) Bryant CottonFlake: Congress should not continue Kavanaugh investigations GOP senator suspects Schumer of being behind release of Ford letter Susan Collins becomes top 2020 target for Dems MORE (R-Ark.), a Trump ally, laid out the administration’s view. 
 
 “China can do more,” he said. “We have to put pressure on China, though, to achieve our objective, which is a denuclearized North Korea that can no longer threaten America.” ||||| Advertisement 
 
 News Analysis The Big Question as the U.N. Gathers: What to Make of Trump? Video Representatives from 193 nations are set to gather for the 72nd annual General Assembly. All eyes will be on President Trump as he juggles diplomatic tensions in countries like North Korea and Iran. 
 
 WASHINGTON — Every year, the president heads to New York to welcome world leaders to the United Nations General Assembly. He gives a speech and meets with an endless string of foreign potentates to discuss a dizzying array of complicated, often intractable issues. 
 
 The days are “kind of like speed dating from hell,” as one analyst put it, and the evenings are “the world’s most tedious cocktail party.” In other words, not exactly President Trump’s favored format. 
 
 But when Mr. Trump attends the first United Nations session of his presidency this coming week, all eyes will be on him as counterparts from around the globe crane their necks and slide through the crowd to snatch a handshake — and, in the process, try to figure out this most unusual of American leaders. 
 
 “The world is still trying to take the measure of this president,” said Jon B. Alterman, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington and author of the speed-dating analogy. “For a number of leaders, this is going to be their first chance to see him, to judge him, to try to get on his good side.” 
 
 In some places, there has been an instinct to dismiss Mr. Trump as a bombastic, Twitter-obsessed political and diplomatic neophyte. “But the fact is you can’t write off the American president,” Mr. Alterman said. 
 
 One of Mr. Trump’s primary tasks will be to define how his America First approach — which has led him to pull out of international agreements on free trade and climate change — fits into the world-first mission of the United Nations. 
 
 His challenge is “to describe the Trump Doctrine on U.S. global leadership and engagement,” said Zalmay Khalilzad, ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush. “The perception in many parts of the world, including the U.N., is that President Trump is unilateralist and isolationist. Trump has the opportunity to present and describe his vision and strategy. The world will be all ears.” 
 
 Mr. Trump arrives in New York at a time of crackling tension over North Korea’s provocative actions and deep uncertainty about what he will do with President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran. While foreign leaders once feared that an erratic American presidency was taking shape, they have been reassured, to some extent, that Mr. Trump is settling into a somewhat more conventional foreign policy than many had anticipated, analysts said. 
 
 The president has not launched an all-out trade war with China, ripped up the Iran deal or the North American Free Trade Agreement, or moved the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, at least not yet. He has belatedly reaffirmed support for NATO and agreed to send more troops to Afghanistan. 
 
 “But America’s friends still see dysfunctionality at the heart of the Trump administration, as key advisers come and go through the revolving door,” said Peter Westmacott, a former British ambassador to Washington. “They remain disheartened by Trump’s announcements on climate change and trade policy.” And “they fear that the fighting talk of this impulsive president could make things worse rather than better on the Korean Peninsula.” 
 
 Previewing the week, Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, the president’s national security adviser, said Mr. Trump would stress “sovereignty and accountability.” Sovereignty is a term that appeals to American conservatives skeptical about the United Nations. It is also a term, however, used by autocrats like Presidents Bashar al-Assad of Syria and Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela to reject interference by outside powers as they crush opposition. 
 
 Mr. Trump will emphasize longstanding efforts to reform what many Republicans see as the sclerotic and inefficient United Nations organization, but aides would not say whether he would commit to the traditional level of American financing as Washington remains in arrears. “You’ll have to wait and see,” said Nikki R. Haley, the ambassador to the United Nations. 
 
 Mr. Trump’s advisers made little mention of United Nations priorities like the so-called Global Goals set in 2015 to eliminate poverty and hunger, improve health and the environment, and reduce inequality and gender discrimination by 2030. 
 
 “The train has left the station, and he wants the train to come back to the station,” said Sarah E. Mendelson, an ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council under Mr. Obama. “It’s going to go on regardless of what the president does or doesn’t say.” 
 
 Mr. Trump will begin the week on Monday with a meeting on United Nations reform. He will meet with the leaders of France and Israel and host a dinner with Latin American leaders. On Tuesday, he will deliver his centerpiece speech to the General Assembly, have lunch with António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, and meet with Miroslav Lajcak, the president of the General Assembly. He will also meet with the emir of Qatar and host a diplomatic reception. 
 
 On Wednesday, Mr. Trump will meet individually with the leaders of Britain, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority and host a luncheon with African leaders. On Thursday, he will meet with the leaders of Turkey, Afghanistan and Ukraine and host a lunch with the leaders of South Korea and Japan. 
 
 Ms. Haley said Mr. Trump would use his speech to lay down markers. “I personally think he slaps the right people, he hugs the right people, and he comes out with the U.S. being very strong in the end,” she said. 
 
 North Korea will be “front and center,” Ms. Haley said, just days after the Security Council escalated sanctions in response to its latest nuclear and missile tests. “And at that point, there’s not a whole lot the Security Council is going to be able to do,” she said, and so “I have no problem kicking it to General Mattis, because I think he has plenty of options,” she added, referring to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. 
 
 The lunch with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea could help determine the next steps. “They will also be looking to see if Trump is looking towards a long path with North Korea and looking towards diplomacy eventually,” said Lisa Collins, a Korea scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 
 
 The president’s schedule offers various subplots. While Mr. Obama used his first United Nations visit to bring together Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Trump will meet with them separately on different days, and aides played down expectations of progress in his peacemaking initiative. Indeed, aides said the meeting with Mr. Netanyahu would probably focus more on Iran, with the Israeli leader pressing Mr. Trump to revise or scrap the nuclear agreement. 
 
 Mr. Trump will not meet with Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the new prime minister of Pakistan, after recently increasing pressure on the American ally to crack down on Taliban elements operating out of its territory. Instead, Vice President Mike Pence will take that meeting. Likewise, Mr. Trump is not scheduled to attend a meeting on climate change. 
 
 Many will watch Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, who has been overshadowed by Ms. Haley, to see if he has influence or is on the way out. Mr. Tillerson is scheduled to meet with leaders or foreign ministers from Iraq, India, Russia and Myanmar, among others. 
 
 But to the extent world leaders evaluate the new president, Ms. Haley said they should be impressed. “They’re going to find out we are going to be solid, we’re going to be strong,” she said. “No one is going to grip and grin. The United States is going to work.” 
 
 Gardiner Harris contributed reporting. Follow Peter Baker on Twitter: @peterbakernyt Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A 1 of the New York edition with the headline: World’s Eyes On President As U.N. Meets 
 
 
 
 
 
 ||||| CLOSE President Trump fired up Twitter Sunday morning with tweets on Kim Jong Un and Hillary Clinton. 
 
 President Trump waves as he walks from the Oval Office on Sept. 15, 2017, to Marine One. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster, AP) 
 
 WASHINGTON — President Trump heads to the United Nations this week to meet with world leaders, and many of them are anxious — not just about global national security challenges, but about Trump himself. 
 
 While the still-new president hopes to use his first appearance before the U.N. General Assembly to rally other countries against North Korea's nuclear threats, some world leaders are still reeling from their last interactions with the somewhat testy Trump at global summits earlier this year. 
 
 Administration officials said Trump will arrive in New York with multiple missions, including trying to convince other countries to help the U.S. pressure North Korea into giving up nuclear weapons. He plans to criticize the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran and address the economic meltdown in Venezuela and the ongoing civil war in Syria. 
 
 Read more: 
 
 Trump mocks Kim Jong Un and Hillary Clinton in Sunday tweetstorm 
 
 Ahead of U.N. meetings, Trump aides call for more pressure on North Korea 
 
 Nikki Haley, Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, puts it simply: The president "slaps the right people, he hugs the right people, and he comes out with the U.S. being very strong in the end." 
 
 Trump will also pursue what his aides call "U.N, reform," another way of calling on members to pay for United Nations projects. 
 
 U.N. members, meanwhile, will be be watching the president's tone, some foreign policy analysts said, given Trump's aggressive performances at this year's NATO meeting, Group of Seven and Group of 20 summits. 
 
 There, Trump "came off as boorish and money-grubbing, and often unresponsive to the concerns of partner nations," said Stewart Patrick, senior fellow with the Council of Foreign Relations. 
 
 "At the U.N," Patrick said, "Trump can win by surpassing expectations about what he is going to say." 
 
 Richard Gowan, a United Nations expert with with the European Council on Foreign Relations, said Trump "performed poorly" at previous international meetings, and diplomats are concerned about a rerun. 
 
 "The swirl of minor leaders and frazzled diplomats around U.N. headquarters can be quite disconcerting, even for relatively calm leaders," Gowan said. "Trump may become irritable." 
 
 The U.N. activity comes in the shadow of Trump's previous international meetings, and the flaps that ensued, including: 
 
 • The Article 5 affair: At his first global summit, a May meeting of NATO members in Brussels, Trump annoyed some allies by declining to specifically endorse the organization's mutual defense commitment, known as Article 5. The tepid remarks on the treaty prompted German Chancellor Angela Merkel to suggest that Europe could no longer count on the United States for defense — even as Trump called for them to spend more money on their own defense. Only after returning to Washington did Trump reaffirm the alliance's commitment to treat an attack on one ally as an attack on all. 
 
 • The shove seen 'round the world: Also at NATO, Trump set the social media world ablaze when he appeared to shove Montenegro Prime Minister Dusko Markovic out of the way in a team photo op. Markovic said that incident was "inoffensive" and no big deal, noting that Trump was assigned to be at the front of the picture anyway. 
 
 • The Sicilian golf cart: Tensions followed Trump from Brussels to the Italian island of Sicily, where Trump clashed with leaders of the Group of Seven nations over trade and climate change policy. The body language between Trump and other leaders also drew stares; at one point other G-7 members took a walking tour of the ancient mountain village of Taormina; Trump followed behind in a golf cart. 
 
 • The Putin parlay: Delegates to the Group of 20 nations summit in Hamburg, Germany, looked on wide-eyed as Trump spent hours talking with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A formal meeting set for 30 minutes ran for more than two hours and the pair also spoke at length at a G-20 dinner. All this came as a U.S. special counsel is investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion with Trump associates. 
 
 President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017. (Photo: Michael Klimentyev, European Pressphoto Agency) 
 
 But Trump's aides say the president was pleased with his earlier summit meetings. Trump is proud of commitments by NATO members to spend more on their national defense, as one example. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump has developed good relations with world leaders "so they can focus on big problems like North Korea." 
 
 Yet Trump's behavior at the U.N. will be highly scrutinized, especially given how he has also criticized the body over the past year. 
 
 During the presidential transition in December, the recently elected Trump criticized a U.N. vote condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In a tweet, Trump said the world body has become "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!” 
 
 In another post, he said, "as to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th," but did not elaborate. 
 
 Some potential flash points may be avoided, at least this time. 
 
 At least two key world leaders won't be at the U.N. this year: China's President Xi Jinping, whom Trump is lobbying especially hard to pressure North Korea, and Putin, who is also involved in disputes over North Korea and Syria, whose relationship with Trump is especially controversial. 
 
 Merkel, who has clashed with Trump over trade and refugee policy, is also not expected to attend, as she is locked in a re-election campaign. 
 
 Trump's trip to New York City opens Monday when he and more than 120 world leaders attend a meeting on United Nations reform. 
 
 After that, Trump meets separately with French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One of their topics: Iran and the nuclear agreement reached by President Obama and U.S. allies in 2015. 
 
 The Trump administration has re-certified the Iran agreement, but Trump himself continues to claim that Tehran is violating "the spirit" of the agreement in which the Iranians give up the means to make nuclear weapons in exchange for reduction of sanctions by the U.S. and its allies. 
 
 On Monday evening, Trump will host a working dinner with Latin American leaders, with Venezuela's problems as the main topic. As the chaos in Venezuela, including a government crackdown on civil liberties, threatens to spill over into neighboring countries, Trump has even spoken of "a military option." 
 
 The president's major speech to the general assembly comes Tuesday morning. 
 
 Over the course of U.N. week, Trump will also host a diplomatic reception have lunches with African leaders and U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. He also has roster of bilateral meetings with leaders of Slovakia, Qatar, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Turkey, Afghanistan and Ukraine. He is also expected to meet with the president of South Korea. 
 
 Trump and aides said he represents an "America First" foreign policy, claiming that other countries have taken advantage of the United States with bad trade deals and agreements that force Americans a disproportionate share of the costs. 
 
 Other countries have accused Trump of abandoning U.S. leadership. The president's trip to the U.S. could present what Patrick, from the Council on Foreign Relations, called "a juxtaposition of America First with folks who are dedicated to international cooperation." 
 
 Richard Fontaine, president of the Washington-based Center For a New American Security think tank, said the United Nations is a "world forum," and other members are asking "what kind of picture is the president going to paint on what he wants to see the United States do in that world forum?" 
 
 One big thing other countries want to know, Fontaine said, is: "How much does he value allies?" 
 
 Gowan, who teaches at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, also noted that the president is notoriously difficult to predict. 
 
 "To be honest," he said, "nobody is really sure what Trump is going to do at the U.N." 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2x9b7wD ||||| United Nations (CNN) President Donald Trump totes his "America First" stance this week to the United Nations General Assembly, the annual inundation of diplomats and world leaders who this year await the new US leader with uneasy anticipation. 
 
 The summit in Trump's hometown -- New York City -- has become the quickest-paced diplomatic event on the calendar for an American president. Trump arrived to the soaring, green-hued assembly hall facing open questions about his approach to hot-button issues like climate change and the Iran nuclear accord 
 
 His schedule over four days is stacked with one-on-one talks with foreign counterparts eager to discuss those global flash-points, as well as the deepening standoff with North Korea . The centerpiece, however, comes Tuesday during Trump's first UN address, a landmark foreign policy moment at the eight-month mark of his presidency. 
 
 "This will be a great week, we look forward to it, as far as North Korea is concerned, I think that most of you know how I feel," Trump said as he strode into the UN headquarters building on Monday. 
 
 Once deeply critical of the UN -- right down to its iconic emerald marble -- Trump as President has achieved his principal diplomatic wins at the body's Security Council, which has passed waves of sanctions on North Korea. 
 
 His first formal comments inside the headquarters building, however, focused not on diplomacy but on real estate. 
 
 "I actually saw great potential right across the street," he said at the beginning of a session on UN reform, referring to the Trump World Tower apartment building on United Nations Plaza. 
 
 He said it "turned out to be such a successful project" due to its proximity to the modernist headquarters building nearby. 
 
 He offered a more skeptical view of the UN's efficacy or its value to the United States. 
 
 The UN "has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement," Trump said at the start of a session focused on reforming the institution. 
 
 "We seek a United Nations that works to regain the trust of people around the world," Trump said, insisting that member states "cut through bureaucracy" to better drive positive change. 
 
 "I encourage all member states to look at ways to take bold stands at the United Nations with an eye toward changing business as usual," Trump said. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Trump's weeks of bluster on North Korea Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump's weeks of bluster on North Korea 01:46 
 
 Adhering to tradition? 
 
 For Trump, Tuesday's speech and the ensuing flurry of diplomacy presents an opportunity to more fully articulate a global agenda that has confounded allies and foes alike. 
 
 "The world is still trying to take the measure of this President," said Jon Alterman, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "For a number of leaders, this is going to be their first chance to see him, to judge him, to try to get on his good side ... they will have been preparing for a chance encounter for weeks." 
 
 Administration officials say Trump is unlikely to unload on the UN in the way he has in the past. Instead, the President's aides are preparing an address that largely adheres to tradition by rallying countries behind condemnation of rogue regimes like North Korea and Iran. Trump dubbed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with a new nickname over the weekend, labeling him "Rocket Man" on Twitter in reference to the rogue nation's recent missile tests. 
 
 Speaking Friday, Trump's top national security aides previewed a UN message centered on themes of "accountability and sovereignty" over the course of Trump's four days in New York. The President hopes to relay the message that countries must become more responsible for their own security while signaling the days of US lecturing over issues like human rights are ending. 
 
 "He slaps the right people, he hugs the right people, and he comes out with the US being very strong in the end," Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said in a preview of Trump's remarks. 
 
 "He will urge all states to come together to address grave dangers that threaten us all," added H.R. McMaster, the White House national security adviser. 
 
 Since taking office, Trump has dug rifts with allies on climate change and trade. But he's also spoken inconsistently on those issues, fostering a degree of confusion over his stance by issuing vague and sometimes contradictory statements. 
 
 In most areas, however, Trump has demonstrated a level of restraint on executing the types of foreign policy shifts that he promised when running for office. He followed the Pentagon's advice to send additional troops to Afghanistan, despite the urging from some of his conservative advisers to pull out entirely. He's postponed, at least for now, moving the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a campaign promise that would upend his efforts to broker a peace agreement in the region. 
 
 And he has yet to discard the Iran nuclear deal, though he is considering steps to weaken it, potentially as early as this month. That issue is expected to dominate parts of Trump's agenda this week, including talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. 
 
 Ahead of that meeting, Trump said "you'll be seeing very soon" his decision on the Iran deal. He faces an October deadline for re-certifying Iran's compliance with the agreement. Iran's leader, Hassan Rouhani, addresses the UN body on Wednesday. 
 
 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump board Air Force One on Saturday, May, 27, 2017, at Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy. They were headed back to the United States after a nine-day trip to the Middle East and Europe. Hide Caption 1 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip President Trump greets people on May 27, after speaking to US troops at Naval Air Station Sigonella. Hide Caption 2 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip President Trump addresses US troops and their families on May 27, at the Sigonella Naval Air Station. Hide Caption 3 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip President Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive on May 27, to address US military personnel and families at Naval Air Station Sigonella. Hide Caption 4 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Leaders of the G-7 and some African nations pose for a photo on May 27, on the second day of the G-7 summit in Taormina, Italy. Hide Caption 5 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip President Trump gestures on May 27, during a G-7 session. Hide Caption 6 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, arrive for a concert of the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra while in Taormina, Italy, on Friday, May 26. The Trumps are in Italy for a two-day G-7 summit. Hide Caption 7 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump and other leaders pose for a group photo at the G-7 summit on May 26. From left are European Council President Donald Tusk, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Hide Caption 8 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump and Trudeau walk together after the group photo. Hide Caption 9 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip G-7 leaders congregate during a walking tour on May 26. Hide Caption 10 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump embraces new French President Emmanuel Macron on May 26. Hide Caption 11 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip The leaders watch a French air squadron. Hide Caption 12 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Melania Trump arrives at the City Hall in Catania, Italy, on May 26. She was wearing a $51,500 Dolce & Gabbana jacket as she met with other spouses of G-7 leaders. Hide Caption 13 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump shakes hands with Macron in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, May 25. They were attending a NATO summit as the alliance officially opened a new $1 billion headquarters. Hide Caption 14 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump stands with other world leaders during a NATO photo shoot on May 25. Hide Caption 15 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump speaks with British Prime Minister Theresa May during a working dinner at NATO headquarters. Hide Caption 16 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump stands next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the NATO summit. Hide Caption 17 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Melania Trump visits the Magritte Museum in Brussels with Amelie Derbaudrenghien, partner of Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. Hide Caption 18 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip A girl takes a selfie with Melania Trump at a children's hospital in Brussels on May 25. Hide Caption 19 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump meets with Macron in Brussels. Hide Caption 20 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump walks with European Council President Donald Tusk, center, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, right, after they met at the European Council in Brussels on May 25. Hide Caption 21 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump, third from right, attends a meeting with leaders at the European Council. Hide Caption 22 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump speaks with King Philippe of Belgium as Queen Mathilde and Melania Trump chat during a reception at the Royal Palace in Brussels on Wednesday, May 24. Hide Caption 23 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Tusk talks to Trump as he welcomes him in Brussels. Hide Caption 24 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump stands with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel while the national anthem is played during Trump's arrival in Belgium on May 24. Hide Caption 25 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Protesters in Brussels demonstrate with effigies of Trump and Michel on May 24. Hide Caption 26 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump shakes hands with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Rome on May 24. Hide Caption 27 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Pope Francis stands with Trump and his family during a private audience at the Vatican on May 24. Joining the President, from left, are Trump's son-in-law, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner; Trump's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump; and first lady Melania Trump. Hide Caption 28 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump and the Pope exchange gifts. Trump presented the Pope with a first-edition set of Martin Luther King's writings. The Pope gave Trump an olive-tree medal that the Pope said symbolizes peace. Hide Caption 29 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump and his wife look at the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel. Hide Caption 30 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump speaks to reporters in Rome during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, right, on May 24. Hide Caption 31 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip The first lady visits a pediatric hospital in Vatican City on May 24. Hide Caption 32 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Melania Trump arrives at the Vatican on May 24. With Vatican protocol in mind, she wore a black veil and long-sleeved black dress draped down to her calf. Ivanka Trump wore a similar outfit with a larger veil. Hide Caption 33 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wave at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on Tuesday, May 23. Trump gave a speech there, reaffirming his country's commitment to Israel while also holding up Judaism's historical ties to the United States. Hide Caption 34 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip People take pictures of the message Trump wrote at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, on May 23. Hide Caption 35 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip With the help of US Marines, Trump and his wife lay a wreath at Yad Vashem. Hide Caption 36 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump meets with Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, on May 23. Trump met with Israeli leaders the day before and said he believes both sides "are ready to reach for peace." Hide Caption 37 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip A Palestinian security official takes position before the arrival of Trump's convoy in Bethlehem, West Bank. Hide Caption 38 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Israeli and American activists hold signs Monday, May 22, during an anti-Trump protest next to the US embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel. Hide Caption 39 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Melania Trump and Israeli first lady Sara Netanyahu speak to children during their visit to the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem on May 22. Hide Caption 40 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump talks to reporters as he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on May 22. Trump sought to rebut claims that he damaged Israeli intelligence capabilities by revealing highly classified information to Russian operatives earlier this month. "Just so you understand, I never mentioned the word or the name Israel," Trump told reporters as he began the second leg of his first foreign tour. Hide Caption 41 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, while in Jerusalem on May 22. Trump became the first sitting US president to visit the wall. Hide Caption 42 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump stands in the Western Wall plaza. To his left, in black, is Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall. Hide Caption 43 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip First lady Melania Trump, in white, visits the Western Wall. At far left is Ivanka Trump. Hide Caption 44 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip The President and first lady plant a tree in Jerusalem with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. Hide Caption 45 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump is welcomed by Netanyahu upon arriving in Tel Aviv on May 22. Trump started his trip with two days in Saudi Arabia. Hide Caption 46 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip On the way to Tel Aviv, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One. Hide Caption 47 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip While in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Trump attends the inauguration ceremony for the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. Joining him here are Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, center, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, left. Hide Caption 48 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump speaks in Riyadh during the Arab Islamic American Summit on Sunday, May 21. Trump looked to make it clear that the United States is not at war with Islam. "This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects or different civilizations," he said. "This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life, and decent people of all religions who seek to protect it. This is a battle between good and evil." Hide Caption 49 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump sits at the summit, which included leaders from 55 Muslim-majority countries. He urged them to do more to eradicate terrorist groups that claim the mantle of Islam. "We can only overcome this evil if the forces of good are united and strong and if everyone in this room does their fair share and fulfills their part of the burden," Trump said. "Muslim-majority countries must take the lead in stamping out radicalization." Hide Caption 50 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump poses with other leaders at the Arab Islamic American Summit. Hide Caption 51 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Saudi King Salman shakes hands with Trump on May 21. Trump is the first US president to start his first foreign trip in the Middle East. Hide Caption 52 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump meets with other heads of state in Riyadh on May 21. Hide Caption 53 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump speaks with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Gen. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Hide Caption 54 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip First lady Melania Trump chats with children during a visit to the American International School in Riyadh on May 21. Hide Caption 55 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip While in Riyadh, President Trump meets with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on May 21. Hide Caption 56 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip President Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi share a laugh during a meeting on May 21. El-Sisi complimented Trump on his "unique personality that is capable of doing the impossible." Trump exchanged pleasantries back, praising el-Sisi's shoes. Hide Caption 57 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump is handed a sword during a welcoming ceremony at Riyadh's Murabba Palace on Saturday, May 20. Hide Caption 58 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump sits with members of his staff and Cabinet before a meeting with Saudi King Salman on May 20. Hide Caption 59 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump and King Salman take part in a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh on May 20. The two leaders oversaw the signing of a defense deal worth nearly $110 billion. Hide Caption 60 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip The Trumps look at a display of modern art at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh. Hide Caption 61 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip King Salman presents Trump with a gilded necklace and medal, the country's highest honor. The distinction also was bestowed upon Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Hide Caption 62 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip The first lady chats with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef at the medal ceremony on May 20. Hide Caption 63 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Ivanka Trump attends the medal ceremony. Hide Caption 64 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump meets with King Salman after arriving in Riyadh on May 20. Hide Caption 65 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Soldiers on horseback carry the US and Saudi flags as they escort Trump to the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh. Hide Caption 66 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip Trump is welcomed by King Salman after arriving at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Hide Caption 67 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip The Trumps take part in the welcome ceremony. Hide Caption 68 of 69 Photos: President Trump's first foreign trip The President and first lady wave from Air Force One after landing in Riyadh. Hide Caption 69 of 69 
 
 'Speed dating from hell' 
 
 In New York, Trump will spend the evenings at Trump Tower, his longest stretch at home since taking office in January. He'll be joined on the trip by Haley, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, each of whom will maintain their own schedules of talks. Tillerson has mandated the State Department reduce its footprint at the General Assembly this year, part of a broader effort to streamline the agency's activities. The centerpiece diplomatic event is seen as a test of Tillerson as his standing in the administration comes under scrutiny. 
 
 Like most years, some major world leaders are sending envoys to the General Assembly instead of attending themselves. China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin are both remaining at home, as is German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces reelection next weekend. 
 
 But Trump will still convene talks with more than a dozen world leaders over the course of his four-day stay in New York. He will meet individually with the leaders of France, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, the United Kingdom, Egypt, Turkey, Afghanistan and Ukraine, the White House said. He'll meet jointly with the leaders of Japan and South Korea for lunch on Thursday. 
 
 And he'll host two large gatherings for Latin American and African leaders on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. 
 
 "It's kind of like speed dating from hell," Alterman said of the yearly diplomatic spree. 
 
 Trump's advisers insisted Friday the sessions would be substantive. 
 
 "They're going to find out we are going to be solid, we're going to be strong," Haley said. "No one is going to grip and grin. The United States is going to work." 
 
 When President Barack Obama first attended the UN General Assembly in 2009, he was met with widespread adoration from world leaders, who broke protocol by applauding during his largely optimistic address. Eight years later, Obama delivered a far darker speech, implicitly rebuking then-candidate Trump's views on trade and immigration. Obama himself will deliver rare public remarks in New York on Wednesday. 
 
 There are few expectations Trump will be met with similar adulation from the UN body. Trump has largely discounted the United Nations in the past, characterizing the 72-year-old institution as underperforming and overspending. During his presidential run, he impugned the body as "not a friend to freedom." 
 
 Earlier this decade he waged a public battle with the UN after officials refused his offer to oversee renovations of the iconic headquarters building on Manhattan's East Side. He even sniffed at the Italian marble on the General Assembly hall rostrum, offering on Twitter to "replace (it) with beautiful large marble slabs if they ask me." 
 
 The acrimony dates back to a dispute over the Trump World Tower, once the tallest residential building in the world. UN diplomats, including then-Secretary General Kofi Annan, questioned how Trump secured zoning rights, saying the gray glass skyscraper would cast shadows on the UN headquarters nearby. 
 
 Legal challenges were unsuccessful, however, and today Trump's building stands across the street from the UN garden and a Soviet statue depicting St. George slaying a dragon, titled "Good Defeats Evil."
– President Trump attends his first session of the UN General Assembly this week, with his big speech scheduled for Tuesday. In addition to that, however, he's got a packed week of meetings with fellow world leaders, a format that one analyst compares to "speed dating from hell," via CNN. Aides have previewed some of the big topics Trump is expected to hit, with North Korea, Iran's nuclear program, global terrorism, the Venezuelan economic meltdown, and UN reform among them. But much of the advance focus is on how Trump will interact with his fellow leaders in front of an organization he has previously belittled. UN ambassador Nikki Haley offered a preview on Sunday: "I personally think he slaps the right people, he hugs the right people, and he comes out with the US being very strong in the end," she said in regard to his Tuesday speech, per the New York Times. Some highlights: (Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, and Germany's Angela Merkel are not expected to attend, notes USA Today): Monday: Trumps meets with the leaders of France and Israel, with Iran expected to be a big focus, reports the Hill. He also hosts a dinner with Latin American leaders, at which Venezuela is likely to be the No. 1 topic. Tuesday: Trump delivers his speech to the General Assembly, his first as president to the full body. Wednesday: Trump meets with the leaders of Britain, Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority, and hosts a lunch with leaders from Africa. Thursday: In addition to meetings with the leaders of Turkey, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, he hosts a lunch with the leaders of South Korea and Japan. The latter could be key in determining what comes next in regard to North Korea. Key quote: "The world is still trying to take the measure of this president," says Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "For a number of leaders, this is going to be their first chance to see him, to judge him, to try to get on his good side. ... They will have been preparing for a chance encounter for weeks."