Trump is set to meet leaders of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, as he says he faces a 'big decision' on the war with Iran. The meeting follows the collapse last month of a June memorandum of understanding that had briefly raised hopes of ending the conflict, and comes with the Strait of Hormuz still effectively closed.

This account currently relies on Al Jazeera. We have not independently corroborated it.

The talks matter because they could influence whether the US intensifies or scales back military action against Iran, with direct consequences for global energy markets and the safety of Gulf states caught between Washington and Tehran. The strongest case for significance is the scale of economic disruption already underway; the strongest case against is that a meeting alone does not guarantee any change in US policy.

The Gulf Cooperation Council groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE and was founded in 1981 partly in response to regional instability around Iran. The US and Israel began military operations against Iran in late February 2026, and Iran responded by striking US bases and threatening shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that carried roughly a quarter of the world's seaborne crude oil trade in 2025. A June 2026 memorandum of understanding briefly raised hopes of ending the war but collapsed last month over disputes about navigation through the strait, which remains effectively closed. Separately, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition against Houthi forces in Yemen since 2015, and that conflict is described by analysts as interconnected with the current Iran crisis.

1. 1981Gulf Cooperation Council founded. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE formed the GCC in Abu Dhabi, partly in the shadow of the Iranian Revolution. Source
2. 2015Saudi Arabia enters Yemen war. Saudi Arabia launched an air campaign with a coalition of Arab states to roll back Houthi gains in Yemen and restore the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Source
3. 2017Riyadh summit with Trump. Trump held bilateral, GCC and broader Arab-Islamic-American meetings in Riyadh during his first trip abroad as president, signing a memorandum on countering terrorism financing. Source
4. 2018US withdraws from Iran nuclear deal. President Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA, calling it a one-sided deal, and reimposed sanctions on Iran. Source
5. 2026US-Israel war on Iran begins. Military operations against Iran began in late February 2026, prompting Iranian strikes on US bases and disruption of Gulf oil and gas exports. Source
6. 2026June memorandum collapses. A memorandum of understanding that had briefly raised hopes of ending the war collapsed last month over disputes about navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Source

2017 Riyadh Summit. Also brought Trump together with the same six GCC leaders in a high-profile format focused on US-Gulf security ties.

Where the comparison breaks down: The 2017 summit was a scheduled diplomatic showcase early in Trump's first term built around counterterrorism financing deals, not an emergency session called mid-war to address an active US-Israel-Iran conflict and a closed Strait of Hormuz.

• It is not clear what Trump's 'big decision' on the war will be or when he will announce it.
• The outcome of the New York meeting itself has not yet occurred at time of reporting.
• It is unclear whether Gulf pressure will lead to concessions from Washington toward Iran.
• It is not confirmed whether Saudi lobbying for US strikes on the Houthis in Yemen will succeed.

Watch for any statement from Trump after the meeting on his 'big decision' regarding the war with Iran, and whether the Strait of Hormuz blockade shows any sign of easing.

• Al Jazeera: Trump-GCC Summit in New York: What does each side want? · Full article · 22 September 2026

Read the original reporting at the links above. Our analysis can be wrong and may change as evidence develops.

• Gulf Cooperation Council — Wikipedia
• The Strait of Hormuz: Security Developments and Impacts on Oil, Gas, and Other Commodities — Congressional Research Service
• A simple guide to the Yemen conflict — Al Jazeera
• 2017 Riyadh summit — Wikipedia