Barack Obama will arrive in Britain this summer on a long-expected seven-nation world tour including Europe, designed to answer doubts among global leaders — and US voters — about the direction of his foreign policy.

Over the weekend his campaign confirmed plans to visit Israel, Jordan, France, Germany and Britain. The dates, as well as a full itinerary expected to include Iraq and Afghanistan, have not yet been disclosed for security reasons.

“This trip will be an opportunity for me to assess the situation in countries that are critical to American national security and to consult with some of our closest friends and allies about the common challenges we face,” he said.

Advisers hope that the tour will “fill a gap in his resumé”, which has been repeatedly highlighted by Republicans claiming that Mr Obama's inexperience and naivety is reflected by his limited exposure to foreign affairs — he has travelled to Iraq only once, and has spent only 24 hours in Western Europe during the past decade.

John McCain, although trailing in opinion polls, appears to have the edge on national security issues, with 53 per cent of those surveyed by the Pew Research Centre saying that his foreign policy was about right — compared with 43 per cent for Mr Obama.

The Democratic candidate will be received enthusiastically in Europe, where he is more popular even than in America. But there may be a more guarded welcome in the Middle East. Israel, in particular, remains suspicious over his past support for Palestinian causes, as well as his attitude towards Iran, with which he has promised to hold unconditional talks during his first year in the White House.

This has found an echo in Europe. When David Miliband met Mr Obama's policy team recently, the Foreign Secretary is understood to have raised questions about the implications of undermining the West's united front on Iran's nuclear ambitions.

One of Mr Obama's advisers, Philip Gordon, acknowledged that there was unease about abandoning the position adopted with President Bush of holding no talks with Iran until it gave up uranium enrichment. “After all the lies and dissembling by the Iranians,” he said, “the European negotiators have become pretty hard-line.”

His aides have responded by seeking to draw a distinction between full negotiations and “preparatory discussions” with Tehran. It has also been noted that Mr Obama used his first speech after clinching his party's nomination to deliver an uncompromising message of support for Israel and a stiff warning towards Iran's leadership.

This is one of several areas where he is watering down pledges made during the campaign as he pivots back towards the political centre. He now concedes that his condemnation of free trade deals like the Nafta agreement when he was trying to win rust-belt Democratic primary voters was “overheated”.

He has even begun unpicking his promise to withdraw all US combat forces from Iraq within 16 months of taking office, saying that he wants a gradual and responsible exit that will take account of conditions on the ground.

On Saturday he said that when he visits the country, “my goal is to talk to the Iraqi leadership about making political progress so that we can start phasing down our troops in Iraq”.

In a gesture towards the recent success of military operations, he added: “Obviously I want to congratulate the troops for the extraordinary work they have done in reducing violence there.”

Times Recommends

• Baghdad fury at claim US spied on PM
• British envoy criticised over Swaziland party
• How perfect is Sarah Palin’s First Dude?