Trump Hopes War Is Nearing Its End
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday evening that he hoped the war against Iran was approaching its conclusion. He also said Iran wants to make a deal and that he had heard from Tehran directly, without providing details. His remarks came as the conflict, which began on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran retaliated with strikes on Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases, entered its seventh month with no immediate end in sight.[S1]
Gulf Leaders to Meet with Trump in New York
Citing unnamed sources, Axios said late Wednesday that Trump is anticipated to sit down with Gulf leaders on Tuesday, on the margins of the UN General Assembly, to talk over the conflict. According to that report, the gathering would center on American proposals for a strategy after the war. Those invited include leaders or foreign ministers from the six Gulf Cooperation Council states: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Neither the State Department nor the White House answered requests for comment.[S1]
War's Toll and Political Fallout
Thousands have been killed and millions uprooted by US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Among the war aims Trump has named is reducing Iran's nuclear capabilities. Iran possesses no nuclear weapons and describes its uranium enrichment as intended for peaceful uses. The United States, by contrast, is nuclear-armed. As November's midterm elections approach, the surge in oil and gas prices caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran has turned into a serious problem for Trump's Republican Party.[S1]
