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Trump Participates in a Multilateral Meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council, Sep. 22, 2026

September 22, 2026 · The White House · 0:12:36

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

President Donald Trump met leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council in New York on September 22, 2026, on the UN General Assembly sidelines, in a session carried on the White House channel. He opened with news from the Iran track: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, he said, had held “a very productive meeting today with mediators of Iran,” and “I think there’s a lot of momentum for them to make a deal.” Of Iran he said, “we’ve knocked them for a loop… the economy is in really bad shape, and I hope they’re going to do something that’s really good for their people. The other alternative is not an acceptable alternative for anybody.”

The President thanked the Gulf states as “some of America’s greatest and closest friends, allies, and partners” in “our effort toward a safer and more prosperous Middle East,” credited them with a share of the $21 trillion in investment he says has been committed to the United States, and named the officials at the table, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz. Looking back a year, he recalled that the same group had met on the previous UN sidelines while the Gaza war raged, and said the progress made that day led within weeks to “a historic peace deal,” UN Security Council approval of the 20-point Gaza Peace Plan, and the creation of the Board of Peace, with nations at the table investing billions to rebuild Gaza.

Why it matters

The Gulf states are the financial and diplomatic weight behind the administration’s Middle East design — the Gaza plan, the Board of Peace, and now the mediated Iran track. This meeting is that design’s status report in the President’s own words, delivered to the partners funding it.

Scoreboard watch

This meeting is a scoreboard candidate on its central claim: that mediated talks with Iran have “a lot of momentum” toward a deal. The scoreboard will check that claim against whether an agreement is in fact reached.

Sources: The White House, “President Trump Participates in a Multilateral Meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council” (official upload, embedded above; the upload’s description places the meeting in New York, NY). All figures and characterizations as stated by the President in the meeting.