Trump Meets Gulf Leaders in New York To Discuss Next Steps in Iran War

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next Tuesday to discuss the next steps in the war with Iran, Axios reported citing three sources with direct knowledge.

“it is expected the American president Donald Trump will hold a meeting with Gulf leaders next Tuesday”

Al-Jazeera Net

The meeting is expected to focus on U.S. ideas for a postwar strategy, as Trump and his senior team work on a broader “day-after” plan expected to be completed after the midterm elections in the United States.

Al-Jazeera Net

Leaders or foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are expected to attend, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the Sultanate of Oman.

Axios reported that the U.S. Department of State sent preliminary invitations on Wednesday, while the White House declined to comment.

Trump said on Wednesday, 'We hope we are near the end of the war on Iran.'

CNN Arabic reported that two American officials told CNN Trump is scheduled to meet with Gulf leaders on Tuesday to discuss the next phase of the war on Iran, with the remarks coming as the House of Representatives voted in favor of a measure requiring an end to the war.

Trump said, "Well, we hope we are close to the end of the war. They want to make a deal, and we’ll see how things go; Iran is very eager to reach an agreement."

Al-Quds Al-Arabi

Axios was also described as the first to report the scheduled meeting with Gulf leaders, and the report tied the talks to the UN General Assembly meetings in New York whose high-level discussions begin on September 22.

Reuters reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also wants to meet with Trump in New York, but no meeting has been scheduled, while Axios said the meeting could expand to include other leaders from Arab and Islamic countries.R

The Anadolu Ajansı report similarly said the State Department sent initial invitations on Wednesday, and that the meeting could include leaders or foreign ministers from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

The planned Gulf meeting is framed by Axios as part of a shift toward shaping what comes after the war, with the focus on U.S. proposals for a postwar strategy and a broader “day-after” plan expected to be finalized after the midterm elections in November.

“the meeting comes amid the consequences of the war on Gulf states that host American military bases”

Al-Quds Al-Arabi

The Al-Quds Al-Arabi report said the meeting comes amid consequences of the war on Gulf states that host American military bases, which have been subjected to Iranian attacks and also faced significant economic losses due to disruptions in oil and gas exports and maritime traffic.

In the same report, Trump said on Wednesday that he hopes the war is “close to ending,” and it reiterated the belief that Iran wants to reach a deal with Washington having received direct messages from Tehran.

The CNBC report added that Trump told reporters in North Carolina on Wednesday evening, "Well, hopefully we are toward the end of the war. They want to make a deal, we'll see how that works out," while fighting continued to escalate between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

CNBC also reported that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution, for the third time, limiting presidential capability to extend military operations against Iran, signaling bipartisan shifts in congressional sentiment.