Trump to Meet Gulf Leaders on Iran War Strategy at UN Next Week

President Donald Trump is expected to meet with leaders or foreign ministers from the six Gulf Cooperation Council states — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman — on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next Tuesday, according to three sources cited by Axios. The meeting aims to discuss the next phase of the war with Iran and U.S. ideas for a postwar strategy.

The planned talks come as Trump stated on Thursday that the United States is "hopefully toward the end" of the nearly seven-month conflict and claimed Washington has been in direct contact with Tehran regarding a potential deal. Iranian officials have not publicly confirmed direct negotiations, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasizing the protection of Iranian sovereignty during talks with China's Wang Yi in Beijing.

“Iran wants to make a deal; they're not ready, in my opinion. We're gonna either make a deal that's good, or we're not gonna make a deal at all.”

Trump told Axios he faces a "big decision" on whether to resume large-scale military operations, saying, "Do I want to go in and annihilate them ... or do I not?" He added he wants to use the UN meeting to gauge regional allies' positions on the conflict's next stage. The White House declined to comment on the scheduled meeting.

The conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has severely disrupted commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command reported redirecting 103 commercial vessels as of September 16 as part of a blockade on Iranian maritime trade, while only three commodity vessels transited the strait on Wednesday, down from a 10-day average of 17.

Oil prices fell Thursday, with Brent crude dropping to $104.59 a barrel, as reports of Saudi Arabia offering extra crude cargoes via Oman eased supply disruption fears. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged de-escalation as "priority one" at the opening of the 81st General Assembly session, stressing the restoration of navigational rights in Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.