Gulf states plan to urge Trump to hold back from escalation with Iran
Gulf capitals plan to press the message directly as Trump meets on Iran today
Published · Updated
UpdateTuesday, September 22, 2026 at 10:45 AM ET
Trump says Iran should make a deal, a call that follows the meeting on Iran cited in the piece above.
The message would come as Trump meets today on the subject and has said Iran "is not doing well."
The push comes against a different tone from Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said sanctions are crippling Iran's economy and that the United States will honour its commitments to Saudi Arabia, while leaving the door open to talks with Tehran.
Iran's own signals have been mixed. Kyodo reported that Iran told Washington it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the US lifted its blockade, but Fars, citing Iranian sources, called reports of a Hormuz reopening deal invalid. Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said separately, according to Fars, that Iran will not surrender to the United States.
Gulf states pushing Trump toward restraint runs counter to the administration's current posture. Rubio has signalled economic pressure and a military commitment to Saudi Arabia as the baseline, and Trump is due to discuss Iran today. A diplomatic push from Gulf capitals may carry weight over time, but it lands while Washington is tightening pressure, not easing it.