US-Gulf meeting to discuss "the day after the Iran war"

Washington – Agencies: U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to hold a meeting with Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next Tuesday to discuss the next steps in the war with Iran, according to the American news outlet Axios. According to three informed sources, the meeting will focus on U.S. plans for a post-war strategy, as Trump and his team work to prepare a plan for the “day after” the war, which is expected to end following the November midterm elections. One source indicated that the meeting could expand to include other Arab and Muslim leaders. Last year, during the UN General Assembly sessions, Trump met with the leaders of eight Arab and Muslim countries and presented them with a draft of his peace plan for Gaza. He announced the plan publicly one week after that meeting, and an agreement to end the war was reached shortly thereafter. On Wednesday, Trump stated, “We hope we are close to the end of the war… we are in the final stages.” The U.S. president reiterated that Iran wants to reach an agreement, noting that the United States had received this message directly from Iran. The White House declined to comment, according to Axios, which noted that the U.S. Department of State sent initial invitations for the expected meeting on Wednesday. The president’s remarks came one day after the House of Representatives voted in favor of a measure requiring him to end the war. Seven Republican House members supported this measure, a number exceeding the four Republican votes cast for the two previous resolutions on the war. In addition, a UN fact-finding mission regarding Iran stated that it has reasonable grounds to believe that the United States is responsible for two military strikes that targeted a school and a sports facility in Iran in February, and that these strikes constitute war crimes. The attack on the Shajarat al-Tayyibah Primary School in the city of Minab resulted in the deaths of more than 150 people, including approximately 120 students. The mission concluded that the attack was indiscriminate, caused civilian casualties, and damaged civilian infrastructure, reaching the level of a war crime under international law.