FACTBOX: McCain, Obama positions on world hot spots

(Reuters) - The U.S. presidential election in November looks increasingly like a face-off between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

Obama, an Illinois senator, is less than 100 delegates shy of capturing the Democratic nomination after his showing in the latest primary elections, and McCain, an Arizona senator, is the presumptive Republican nominee.

Here is a summary of their positions on several foreign policy challenges in various hot spots around the world:

IRAQ

McCain, a staunch supporter of the Iraq war, says the United States could maintain a peacekeeping military presence there indefinitely, similar to the ongoing deployments in South Korea and Japan. He says the U.S. troop buildup has helped boost stability in Iraq. McCain has criticized Democrats' promises for a quick withdrawal as "reckless."

Obama opposed the Iraq war before he was elected to the Senate and says he would withdraw U.S. troops within 16 months of taking office in January 2009. He says his early opposition to the war shows he is best placed to make a "clean break" from the Republican approach.

IRAN

McCain has accused Iran of training terrorists to attack U.S. troops and of supporting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. He says the United States could not accept a nuclear-armed Iran and he backs much tougher financial and trade sanctions against Tehran. He also supports military action if Iran poses a "real threat" to Israel.

Obama has said he would be willing to meet Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and has criticized Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for saying the United States could "obliterate" Iran. Obama says keeping Iran free of nuclear weapons would be one of his top priorities in the White House and said he would respond "forcefully and swiftly" to an Iranian attack against Israel or any other U.S. ally.

ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN ISSUES

McCain, who has described himself as "proudly pro-Israel," has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas he was committed to a peace settlement. He has signaled he would have a more hands-on approach than President George W. Bush in working for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Obama has called U.S. friendship with Israel "unbreakable" and has vowed to ensure security of the Jewish state. He said he would make a sustained push to achieve the goal of two states -- a Jewish state in Israel and a Palestinian state. He has said diplomatic efforts could moderate Syria, which would help stabilize the region and better secure Israel.

PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN

McCain has said success in Afghanistan is critical to stopping al Qaeda and, to that end, the United States must work with the Pakistani government to stamp out extremist-run training camps inside Pakistan. He has also said he would like to see more NATO participation in Afghanistan.

Obama has said he would be willing to attack al Qaeda inside Pakistan without Pakistani approval. He said Pakistan would have to close down al Qaeda training camps and drive out the Taliban in order to continue to receive U.S. military aid. Obama, who often says the Iraq war distracted attention from Afghanistan, says more work needs to be done in Afghanistan. He also told Europeans they step up their efforts there and not count on the United States and Britain to do the "dirty work" in fighting the Taliban.

(Compiled by JoAnne Allen and Andy Sullivan, editing by Deborah Charles and David Wiessler)

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)