FACTBOX-Obama's news conference: What will he say?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House announced that President Barack Obama would hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 GMT) on Tuesday.

Here is a look at a few of the issues that may come up:

ECONOMY

Obama likely will take the opportunity to again lay out the steps his administration has taken to rescue the economy from its worst recession in decades. While there are hopeful signs the economy is slowly recovering, thousands of Americans still are losing their jobs every month. Obama also may address Americans' concerns about the size of the country's deficit, which is projected to grow to about $1.8 trillion this year, and increased government intervention in the economy.

HEALTH

Obama is in campaign mode this week trying to drive healthcare reform legislation through Congress that will provide health insurance coverage for some 46 million Americans without it. He is facing opposition from Republicans and other critics who say its $1 trillion price tag makes it too expensive, although a poll published at the weekend found that Americans were willing to pay higher taxes to fund it.

IRAN

How to deal with the aftermath of Iran's presidential election has proven to be the biggest foreign policy challenge for Obama's young administration. He is under pressure from Republicans to speak more forcefully about the Iranian government's crackdown on demonstrators who say the election won by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was rigged. Obama has sharpened his rhetoric on the crackdown, but with an eye on holding eventual talks with Iran on its nuclear program, he has chosen his words carefully in his comments on the election results.

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