President Trump says Iran wants a deal, and he is heading into next week's United Nations General Assembly ready to test that claim with the leaders who have the most at stake. Trump is expected to sit down with officials from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman to hash out a postwar strategy for Iran, according to people familiar with the planning, with the guest list possibly growing to include other Arab and Muslim leaders. The talks, expected on the sidelines of the summit in New York, come as Trump and his national security team work on what officials are calling a day-after plan, one that is not expected to be finalized until after the November midterms. Trump told reporters this week that he hopes the fighting is winding down, repeating his familiar line that Tehran wants to make a deal.

The diplomacy is unfolding against a backdrop of real military tension, with U.S. forces staying active around the Strait of Hormuz and the USS George Washington supporting operations from the Arabian Sea as Washington keeps pressure on Iran. Meanwhile, in Yemen, Houthi forces are advancing along the Red Sea coastline as fighting intensifies, stirring fresh worries about yet another critical global shipping route coming under threat. Gulf states hosting American bases have already absorbed major Iranian strikes and steep economic losses from disrupted oil and gas exports during the conflict, giving next week's meeting real urgency. With Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu also reportedly seeking his own sit-down with Trump in New York, the UN gathering is shaping up to be a pivotal moment for a war now well into its seventh month.