World press review on U.S. policy in Mideast and U.N. rapporteur on human rights in Iran (October 23-24, 2013)

"Criticism of United States’ Mideast Policy Increasingly Comes From Allies" is an article published yesterday by the New York Times. "During stops in Paris and London this week, Secretary of State John Kerry found himself insisting that the United States was not facing a growing rift with oil-rich Saudi Arabia, whose emissaries have described strains over American policy on Egypt, Iran and Syria. And during a stop in Rome, Mr. Kerry sought to reassure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel that the Obama administration would not drop its guard in the newly invigorated nuclear talks with Iran," the article reads.
"...the criticism by Saudi officials has been the most vehement, as they have waged a campaign against the United States’ policy in the Middle East in private comments to diplomats and reporters, as well as in public remarks by a former intelligence official," the article states."Some Middle East experts said that the unease over American policy went beyond the details of the United States’ position on Syria or a potential nuclear deal with Iran. It is also fueled, they say, by the perception that the Obama administration’s policy is grounded in the desire to avoid diplomatic and especially military confrontations in the Middle East."
Commenting on US-Israeli relations, the article concludes: "American officials did not publicly acknowledge that “right” in talks with Iranian officials in Geneva last week, but it is clear that the United States and other world powers are willing to explore a deal that is far less stringent than the one Mr. Netanyahu proposed. The disagreements between the United States and Israel will not be easy to finesse. The United States and other world powers are scheduled to resume talks with Iran in Geneva on Nov. 7."
"Iran human rights record condemned in UN report" is an article published today by the Guardian. 
"A special UN rapporteur has condemned widespread human rights abuses in Iran, but said recent signals from the country's new president, Hasan Rouhani, had raised expectations for change," the article reads. "In a written response, Iran rejected Shaheed's report as "a biased approach" that relied on unconfirmed reports and did not "merit public trust or confidence". Tehran defended its press freedom policies, saying they were in keeping with "the fundamental principles of Islam and the public rights" enshrined in Iran's constitution.""The Baha'i International Community, which says it represents five million members of the faith, rejected Iran's defence and said little had changed for Baha'is since Rouhani's election. 'What we see is the continuation of the usual tactics, attempting to delude the international community and to appease the family of nations, even as repression continues at home in full force," said Bani Dugal, the group's representative to the UN,'" the article concludes.