- Some delegations have walked out during Ahmadinejad's previous speeches
- The new Egyptian and Yemeni leaders will address the assembly
- The role of the Arab League will be in the spotlight amid continuing Mideast unrest
(CNN) -- Iran's controversial president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is set to address the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday morning, one of several world leaders making speeches that are likely to provide talking points.
Here are five things to look out for during the second day of the session:
1. Ahmadinejad to speak after Obama's warning over nuclear weapons.
The Iranian leader's addresses to the assembly have often generated controversy in the past. The tensions over Tehran's disputed nuclear program and speculation over a possible attack on Iran by Israel offer ample material for drama this time around.
In previous years, several delegations have walked out during Ahmadinejad's speeches, which have assailed the United States and criticized countries that he said used the Holocaust as an "excuse to pay ransom to Zionists."
He will be taking to the podium Wednesday, a day after President Barack Obama told the assembly that while Washington remains committed to a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program, the United States "will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and to fill energy shortages, but Western leaders believe Tehran is an aspiring armed nuclear power. U.N. inspectors have also expressed doubts about the program's aims.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday in a speech that Iran must prove the "solely peaceful intent of its program."
When asked in an interview that aired Monday on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" what Iran would do if Israel were to attack it, Ahmadinejad said, "Any nation has the right and will indeed defend herself."
2. The new leaders of two key Middle East nations will make closely-watched debuts at the assembly.
Also speaking during the morning session Wednesday are two Middle East leaders who are relatively new to the world stage but whose countries represent key foreign policy challenges for the United States.
President Mohamed Morsy of Egypt, the new leader of the nation considered by many to be the fulcrum of the Arab world, is still in the process of establishing his foreign policy in the aftermath of the revolution that brought down Hosni Mubarak, a longtime U.S. ally.
His first few months in office have often left Washington guessing at his intentions. Morsy's early overseas visits have included China and Iran, two nations with whom the U.S. government's relations are complicated, to say the least.
Recent protests outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo -- about a film produced in the United States that denigrates the Prophet Mohammed -- and extremist violence in the Sinai have put the United States and Egypt's neighbor, Israel, on edge.
The Yemeni president, Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, has also had to contend with violent demonstrations this month outside the U.S. diplomatic mission in his nation's capital, Sanaa.
Yemen has become a focal point in the United States' long-running fight against the nebulous terrorist network al Qaeda. Drone strikes, as well as clashes between government forces and al Qaeda fighters, have become regular occurrences.
Over the past several months, Hadi has sought to restructure Yemeni security forces and remove loyalists to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh from their posts. Saleh was forced from power early this year after mass protests.
3. The founder of Wikileaks will make an appearance, but not in person.
Despite being holed up inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is scheduled to make an appearance via video link at an event on the sidelines of the U.N. assembly Wednesday evening.
Assange, who has infuriated U.S. authorities by publishing thousands of classified diplomatic cables, will speak at the event, "Strengthening Human Rights," hosted by Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino.
Assange is hiding in the embassy to avoid being arrested and extradited to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations he committed sex crimes. Assange claims that the accusations are part of a plot to later extradite him to the United States to face charges for publishing the cables.
Ecuador has granted diplomatic asylum to Assange, but the United Kingdom does not recognize it and has vowed to carry through with his arrest.
Assange predicted last month that his situation will be resolved within a year, but British Foreign Secretary William Hague said this week that the standoff "may go on for some time."
In the meantime, Assange says he will keep fighting and WikiLeaks will continue to operate.
4. The role of the Arab League is in the spotlight amid tumult in the Middle East.
The Security Council will hold a high-level meeting Wednesday of ministers highlighting the vital role of the Arab League as a regional entity, particularly during the last two years of the Arab Spring.
Criticized in the past as being toothless, the league has taken a more assertive role during the unrest in the region in the past two years.
It voted in November to suspend Syria from its ranks as violence between government forces and rebels intensified there. A couple of weeks later, it initiated sanctions against the country. One month later, monitors were sent in.
The league also suspended Libya's membership last year, condemning Moammar Gadhafi's regime at the time for attacking peaceful protesters.
The difficulties the league's members face remain in evidence, though, with the recent protests outside U.S. embassies in the region over the anti-Muslim film and the seemingly intractable conflict in Syria.
The organization, also known as the League of Arab States, was created in 1945 to promote closer relations -- politically, economically, culturally and socially -- among its members. The high-level meeting Wednesday afternoon is focused on cooperation between the United Nations and the league.
5. Zimbabwe's Mugabe will speak despite travel ban and protests.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, a longtime African leader who has outlasted both Mubarak and Gafhafi, is due to address the afternoon session of the assembly.
Western countries have imposed travel bans on Mugabe and other Zimbabwean officials, but he is allowed to travel to the United Nations Headquarters in New York for the General Assembly.
Activists demonstrated outside the U.N. building in New York on Saturday, calling Mugabe "illegitimate" and saying he should not be welcomed by the U.N. assembly.
Mugabe, 88, has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980. He has been accused of rigging elections and instituting repressive laws to tighten his grip on power. His party, ZANU-PF, is in a troubled unity government with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
He has blamed many of his country's economic woes on the sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union in 2002.
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