President Donald Trump’s Trump GCC meeting Iran talks are confirmed for 22 September, when he will sit down with leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council states on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to The Washington Institute. The discussion is expected to focus on a postwar strategy, as Washington works through what comes next in a conflict that has rattled oil markets and disrupted energy exports across the region.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) brings together Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. All six have been absorbing escalating attacks from Iran and Iran-aligned Houthi militants in recent days. The State Department sent initial invitations on Wednesday, with the guest list possibly widening to include other Arab and Muslim leaders.
Trump GCC meeting Iran: what is on the table
The talks will centre on US proposals for a postwar arrangement, though the plan is not expected to be finalised until after the US midterm elections in November. What Washington would require of Gulf states or Iran as part of any such arrangement remains unclear.
Adding a further diplomatic dimension, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump is open to a meeting with Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, while both are in New York for the General Assembly, according to AP News. That would mark a direct encounter between the two governments at the highest level, at a moment when Trump himself has claimed Iran has reached out to Washington and wants to make a deal.
‘They want to make a deal, and we’ll see how that works out,’ Trump told reporters upon landing in North Carolina on Wednesday.
US and Iranian officials meet as Trump issues stark warning at UNGA
Events moved quickly at the General Assembly. Trump said US and Iranian officials met on Tuesday, shortly after he addressed the assembly and warned he may ‘annihilate’ the Islamic Republic if a deal to end the conflict is not reached, AP News reported. The combination of a direct threat and a confirmed back-channel contact illustrated the volatile and fast-moving nature of the diplomacy surrounding the conflict, now in its seventh month.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also wants to meet Trump in New York, though no meeting has been scheduled, according to an Israeli source cited in earlier reports.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres repeated calls for de-escalation on Wednesday, urging diplomacy and the restoration of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil markets watch East-West Pipeline repairs
The economic cost of the conflict has been mounting for Gulf states. Saudi Arabia shut its East-West Pipeline, a network that transports crude oil from the kingdom’s eastern coast to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, after damage caused by a drone attack. Saudi Arabia subsequently arranged additional shipments through Oman’s Sohar port via ship-to-ship transfers, which eased fears of a prolonged supply gap.
Brent crude eased to $105.8 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate dropped 0.22% to $102.14, paring earlier gains once the alternative supply arrangements became known.
Michael Feller, chief strategist at Geopolitical Strategy, said Iran could be open to negotiating after the US midterms, but warned that continued reluctance to engage risks extending the conflict. ‘Iran may be willing to do a deal after the midterms. If not, the war may continue until late 2028, if not beyond,’ Feller said. He added that repairs to the East-West Pipeline would provide relief, but cautioned that export-terminal stockpiles will run out unless the line is restored within days.
Trump’s GCC meeting on 22 September gives Gulf leaders and Washington a fixed point to align on next steps, with the clock ticking on both the pipeline and the broader diplomatic track.
