Trump to meet Gulf leaders in New York to discuss Iran war endgame

Dubai: US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Gulf leaders in New York next week to discuss the next phase of the Iran war, as Washington begins looking beyond the nearly seven-month conflict towards a possible postwar strategy.

The meeting is expected to take place on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and will include leaders or foreign ministers from the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman — Axios reported, citing three sources with direct knowledge of the plans.

The State Department sent initial invitations on Wednesday, according to Axios. One source said the gathering could also be expanded to include other Arab and Muslim leaders.

The talks are expected to focus on US ideas for what comes after the war, with Trump and his senior officials working on a broader “day-after” plan that Axios said is expected to be finalised after the November midterm elections.

The meeting would give Gulf states — which have borne some of the most direct regional consequences of the conflict — an opportunity to weigh in on Washington’s thinking about how the war ends and what follows.

Several Gulf countries hosting US military facilities have been targeted by Iran during the conflict, while disruptions to regional oil and natural gas exports have inflicted wider economic costs.

Trump sees possible end to war

The planned talks come as Trump signals that he believes an end to the conflict may be approaching.

“Hopefully we are towards the end of the war,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.

He again said Iran wanted an agreement and claimed Washington had heard from Tehran directly.

Asked whether the communication had come through intermediaries, Trump said it had been “direct”.

No ceasefire or final agreement has been announced, however, and major differences remain between Washington and Tehran.

The conflict, which began on February 28, is now in its seventh month. Iran has retaliated against US and Israeli attacks with strikes across the region, including against countries hosting American military bases, while disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz have hit energy shipments and pushed up global oil and gas prices.

Diplomacy on another front

Signs of behind-the-scenes diplomacy have also emerged elsewhere in the region.

US officials held previously undisclosed talks with senior representatives of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in Oman over the weekend, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The meeting, which one source said took place on Sunday at the US Embassy in Muscat, was facilitated by Oman.

Two sources told Reuters that Houthi representatives assured the Americans they would not attack US vessels and remained committed to their 2025 ceasefire with Washington.

A Yemeni source said the Houthis also pledged not to target Israeli ships or other commercial vessels, with the exception of Saudi vessels.

The State Department did not confirm the meeting, but said protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and preventing the export of terrorism from the Middle East remained core US interests.

Gulf role in what comes next

The New York meeting could therefore become an important forum for shaping Washington’s approach if the conflict moves towards negotiations.

Last year, Trump used a similar gathering on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to present leaders from eight Arab and Muslim countries with a draft of his Gaza peace plan. The proposal was made public a week later and was followed shortly afterwards by an agreement to end that war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also seeking a meeting with Trump while in New York, according to Axios, although no meeting has yet been scheduled.

The White House has not commented on the reported Gulf meeting.