Trump to Meet Gulf Leaders at UN Amid Iran Focus

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet with leaders from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries next Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. The meeting will focus on U.S. ideas for a post-war regional strategy concerning Iran, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The White House has not commented on the meeting.

The strategy, which Trump and his senior staff are developing, is anticipated to be finalized after the upcoming midterm elections. While the primary focus is on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed interest in meeting with President Trump during the same period, though no meeting has been scheduled yet.

Last year, Trump met with leaders from eight Arab and Muslim nations at the UN General Assembly, presenting a draft of his peace plan for Gaza. This plan was publicly revealed a week later, and shortly thereafter, a deal was reached to end the war.

Trump recently stated that "hopefully we are getting close to the end of the war" and reiterated claims that Iran desires an agreement, asserting the U.S. has heard this directly from Iran. The upcoming meeting is expected to include leaders or foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. Initial invitations were sent by the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, with one source suggesting the meeting could expand to include other Arab and Muslim leaders.