Donald Trump is expected to meet with leaders of Gulf countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next Tuesday, in order to discuss the next steps in the war with Iran, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the plans who spoke to Axios.
The meeting between the U.S. president and his Arab counterparts is considered particularly important, as it is expected to focus on Washington’s proposals for the strategy to be followed after the war. Trump and his senior advisers are already working on a plan for the “day after” in the Middle East, which is expected to be finalized after the midterm elections in the United States.
At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also wants to meet with Trump in New York. However, no meeting has been scheduled so far, according to an Israeli source.
It is recalled that last year, during the UN General Assembly, Trump had met with the leaders of eight Arab and Muslim countries, to whom he presented a draft of his peace plan for Gaza. One week later, he publicly unveiled the plan, and shortly afterward an agreement was reached to end the war.
The Gulf countries that host U.S. military bases had been subjected to Iranian attacks both during the first months of the war and several weeks ago, while they also suffered major economic losses because of the problems caused to maritime exports of oil and natural gas.
Trump said Wednesday that “we hope we are nearing the end of the war.” The U.S. president again maintained that Iran wants to reach an agreement, adding that the United States had received this message directly from Tehran.
According to the same sources, Trump is expected to meet with leaders or foreign ministers of the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.
The White House declined to comment on the reports.
The State Department sent out the first invitations for the meeting on Wednesday. One of the sources said, finally, that the composition of the meeting could be expanded to include other Arab and Muslim leaders.
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