US President Donald Trump has scheduled talks with Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss the next phase of the war with Iran, sources with direct knowledge confirmed to Axios.
The meeting is set to focus on American proposals for a postwar strategy, as Trump and his senior national security team work on a day-after framework expected to be finalised following the upcoming midterm elections.
The State Department dispatched initial invitations on Wednesday.
Officials from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman—are expected to attend, with sources noting the guest list could expand to include other Arab and Muslim leaders.
Postwar planning
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also sought a bilateral meeting with Trump while in New York, though no formal encounter has been scheduled, according to an Israeli source.
The White House declined to comment on the planned discussions.
The planned talks follow a precedent set during last year's UN General Assembly, when Trump met leaders from eight Arab and Muslim nations to present a draft framework to end the genocide in Gaza, unveiling the initiative publicly a week later before reaching an agreement.
Gulf nations hosting US military installations have absorbed heavy Iranian retaliatory strikes during the conflict, whilst suffering acute economic disruption caused by shipping interruptions and hazards to regional oil and natural gas exports.
The diplomatic push coincides with Trump's public assessment on Wednesday that Washington and its allies "are towards the end of the war."
The US president reiterated that Tehran wants to conclude a deal, saying the US administration received that message directly from Iranian officials.
