And yet Obama spends his time bashing Israel.

(CNSNews.com) – With a death of Nelson Mandela, some people are wondering about a possible encounter between the American and Iranian president at memorial events in South Africa this week – especially after a failed attempt by U.S. officials to arrange one at the U.N. last fall.

As of Sunday, Iran had not yet formally confirmed whether President Hasan Rouhani plans to travel to South Africa, but that did not stop one Iranian newspaper from warning that the funeral events could be a “trap” that would bring him face to face with the leader of the “great satan.”

“Satan lays a trap, this time in Johannesburg,” read the headline on the editorial in Kayhan, a Tehran-based publication close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As South African authorities scrambled to plan for what is expected to be a huge event, Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said Sunday that 53 heads of state had so far confirmed their attendance, including President Obama, who according to the White House will be accompanied by the First Lady and President George W. Bush and Laura Bush.

President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also travel to South Africa, as will two dozen members of Congress and President Carter – in his case as part of a delegation of The Elders, a group of former statesmen that included Mandela.