President Donald Trump is expected to hold talks with Gulf leaders on the Iran war next Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, according to a report. The meeting will focus on the next steps in the war with Iran, including the Trump administration’s postwar strategy.
Leaders or foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman are expected to attend. One source told Axios the meeting could be expanded to include other Arab and Muslim leaders.
The war has disrupted Arab nations’ exports of oil and natural gas. Gulf states and US military bases within them have been hit by Iranian missile and drone attacks throughout the conflict.
The Meeting and Its Guests
Nypost‘s report describes a gathering of six countries, each with a stake in how the war ends. The meeting brings together leaders whose nations have faced Iranian attacks directly.
Trump’s decision to host the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly puts the war front and center at one of the world’s largest diplomatic gatherings.
What the Meeting Will Cover
The meeting’s stated purpose is straightforward: the next steps in the war with Iran, including the Trump administration’s postwar strategy. That framing suggests the US wants to signal coordination with its partners as the conflict enters a new phase.
But the report also notes that the administration’s “day-after plan” for Iran is not expected to be finalized until after the November midterm elections. That distinction matters. The meeting will discuss plans, but it will not produce final decisions.
Vance’s Warning
Vice President JD Vance told The Post the nearly seven-month-long conflict will enter a “much different phase in a couple of months.” That timeline aligns with the report’s description of the meeting as focusing on the next steps rather than the final ones.
The combination of Vance’s statement and the report’s details suggests a pattern. The administration is talking about the war’s end as near, but it is not committing to a plan until after voters decide.
Netanyahu’s Interest
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to meet with Trump at the UN General Assembly but no meeting has been scheduled. His interest is not surprising, given the shared stakes in the conflict.
The Administration’s Position
The administration’s stated position is that the war will end shortly after the fall contests. That is a public-facing timeline, designed to give voters a sense of progress before Election Day.
The administration is treating the war as an ongoing issue, not a resolved one, and it is willing to let the conflict continue through Election Day.
What Comes Next
The report’s key detail is that the day-after plan is not expected to be finalized until after the November midterm elections. That is a significant choice. It means the administration is treating the war as an ongoing issue, not a resolved one, and it is willing to let the conflict continue through Election Day.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs smaller government and is against any office gathering more power, whether the meeting brings together Gulf leaders to plan the next steps in the war with Iran or not. The meeting itself is a diplomatic matter, and the paper takes no position on it. But the administration’s stated approach — keeping the day-after plan unfinished until after the midterms — raises questions about whether the war is being treated as a problem to solve or as a tool for political advantage.
The paper’s skepticism of concentrated power applies here too. When an administration delays its own planning process until after voters decide, it looks like the war is being used to protect the election, not to end the conflict. The paper would rather see plans made and shared openly, with citizens able to judge them, than plans kept hidden behind closed doors until after the vote.
Readers should watch for the administration’s actual actions, not just its words. A plan that stays unfinished until after Election Day tells you something about who the administration is working for.
Key Facts Box
- Meeting: Trump to hold Iran talks with Gulf leaders next Tuesday on UN General Assembly sidelines
- Attendees: Leaders or foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman
- Guest list: May expand to include other Arab and Muslim leaders
- War duration: Nearly seven months
- Midterm elections: November
- Postwar plan: Not expected to be finalized until after the midterms
- Netanyahu: Wants to meet Trump at UN General Assembly, no meeting scheduled
The administration is not protecting the war. It is protecting the election.
Follow the money, and ask yourself why.
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