The meeting is expected on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where leaders and senior officials from the six Gulf Cooperation Council states are due to gather alongside representatives of Iraq and Jordan. Egypt may also join the discussions, according to people familiar with the diplomatic preparations.
Iran is expected to dominate the agenda, including the future course of the US-Iran conflict, Tehran’s regional network of armed allies and the security of Gulf states exposed to missile, drone and maritime threats. Trump has said he wants direct input from regional partners before deciding whether to resume major military operations against Iran.
The talks come as the 81st session of the General Assembly enters its high-level phase in New York. The general debate opens on Tuesday and runs through September 28, bringing heads of state and government together amid conflicts stretching from the Middle East to Europe.
Trump said last week that he was approaching a major decision over Iran and had not ruled out renewed large-scale strikes. He has also kept open the possibility of diplomacy with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose delegation has been permitted to attend the UN gathering despite continuing hostilities between Washington and Tehran.
Gulf governments have pressed for regional stability and have repeatedly warned that a wider confrontation would threaten energy infrastructure, commercial shipping and economic activity. Their concerns have intensified as Iranian-backed groups, particularly Yemen’s Houthis, have increased attacks affecting Saudi Arabia and the approaches to the Bab Al Mandeb strait.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said at a New York discussion on Sunday that Washington was seeing the spread of increasingly sophisticated Iranian weapons, including drones and cruise missiles, to allied groups. He cited Hezbollah and the Houthis as examples of forces benefiting from Tehran’s military support.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, told the same discussion that any durable regional settlement would require Arab states to be directly involved in conversations with Iran. He said strategic questions about the region should not be confined to negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
Iraq’s participation gives the meeting an additional security dimension. The country is approaching the September 30 end of the US-led international coalition’s mission against Islamic State, while Baghdad faces continuing pressure over the status and weapons of Iran-aligned armed groups operating inside Iraq.
Jordan’s inclusion reflects the broader regional impact of the confrontation. Amman has sought to limit spillover from conflicts around its borders while maintaining close security ties with Washington and relations with Gulf capitals.
The diplomatic push also follows renewed Houthi attacks and threats against Saudi Arabia, raising concern over key export routes and infrastructure. Washington regards the Houthis as an Iranian proxy, while Tehran rejects descriptions that portray the group as acting under its direct control.
Trump’s administration has maintained significant US military forces in the Middle East while leaving open both military and diplomatic options. The White House has also been examining the shape of a post-conflict regional security framework, including efforts to contain Iran and strengthen co-ordination between Washington’s Arab partners.
Iranian officials have warned that further US attacks would draw a strong response against American interests and, potentially, regional states seen as assisting Washington. Tehran has also linked future negotiations to disputes over sanctions, its nuclear programme and security arrangements affecting strategic waterways.
The New York consultations are expected to test how far Arab governments can shape Washington’s calculations at a moment when they are seeking to avoid another cycle of escalation. Gulf officials have argued that security arrangements must account for the interests of states directly exposed to the consequences of any renewed fighting.
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