Trump Signals Hope for End to Iran War as Gulf Leaders Set for UN Talks
Trump says he hopes the seven-month Iran war is nearing its end, as a report says he will meet Gulf leaders at the UN next week.
US President Donald Trump said he hoped the war against Iran was approaching its end, while a media report said he is expected to meet Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to discuss the conflict.
The remarks came as the Iran war entered its seventh month with no immediate end in sight.
Trump told reporters he believed the conflict was moving towards a conclusion. "Well, hopefully we are towards the end of the war," he said. On Iran, he added, "They want to make a deal. We'll see how that works out," repeating earlier comments. He also said he had heard from Iran "directly," without giving details.
A report said the planned meeting with Gulf leaders in New York next week is expected to focus on US plans for a postwar strategy. It said Trump would meet leaders or foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. The State Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump has offered shifting goals and timelines for the war, which began on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran responded with strikes on Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.
Trump has cited weakening Iran's nuclear capabilities as one of his war objectives. Iran does not have nuclear weapons and says its uranium enrichment programme is for peaceful purposes. The US is nuclear-armed.
Rising oil and gas prices caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran have become a major issue for Trump's Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections.