For months, Mr. Romney has criticized Mr. Obama for failing to halt Iran’s nuclear program, disparaged negotiations between Tehran and the major powers and offered the hollow pledge that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon if he is president. In his speech, Mr. Romney seemed less hostile, saying “negotiations must secure full and unhindered access for inspections.” He said Iran must halt all uranium enrichment but did not say how he would enforce a demand often made by the United Nations Security Council.

No one can predict if Mr. Obama’s approach will yield a deal. He has had more success at rallying international support behind tougher sanctions — including financial controls and an oil embargo — than his predecessor ever had. He has also helped Israel and Persian Gulf states boost their defenses and made clear that the option of using force is on the table. He has been much more willing to pursue engagement than Mr. Romney, who on Tuesday pledged to “use every means necessary to protect ourselves and the region and to prevent the worst from happening while there is still time.”

After suggesting for months that he might keep American forces in Afghanistan indefinitely, Mr. Romney said he would transition security to Afghan troops by the end of 2014, which Mr. Obama and NATO have already promised to do. He said he would rely on the advice of military commanders, as if Mr. Obama has not been doing just that. Given all the American lives and treasure expended over the past 12 years, it was a serious failure that he did not say more, including whether he would leave residual forces behind or how he would handle Afghanistan more broadly.

Mr. Romney, who plans to visit Israel this week as well as Britain and Poland, is fighting hard for support from Jewish voters. He attacked Mr. Obama for “shabby treatment” of Israel. Relations between Mr. Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are obviously tense. But the administration has backed Israel in almost every way, and Israeli leaders have publicly acknowledged that.

Mr. Romney took some potshots at Russia (but dropped his absurd reference to Russia as the No. 1 geopolitical foe) and China. He ignored Pakistan, Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He tried to sound stern toward Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood now runs the government, and said tough things like “I am not ashamed of American power.”