President Trump stated that a new deal with Iran is on the table and suggested the conflict will soon end during remarks in North Carolina. He indicated that direct communication with Iranian officials is underway without third-party mediators involved. Meanwhile, footage obtained by ABC News shows significant damage to US military bases in the Middle East following recent Iranian strikes, including smashed buildings and damaged aircraft at key facilities in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
US President Donald Trump is expected to meet leaders or foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman in New York next Tuesday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The meeting aims to discuss the next steps in the ongoing war with Iran and outline a postwar strategy. Trump told reporters he hopes the US is near the end of its conflict with Iran but did not provide specific details about direct communication channels or negotiation terms beyond indicating that Iran wants to make a deal. The seven-month-old conflict has disrupted oil supplies, strained economies in the region, and involved Iranian missile and drone attacks on countries hosting US military bases.
Written for “Iran War Talks Trump Gulf Leaders” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.
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Ahead of next week's UN General Assembly, President Donald Trump indicated that Iran is open to a deal, setting up key talks with Gulf leaders to sketch out a postwar strategy - and saying the war 'will end soon.'
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war → see → strategy
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he hopes that the US is almost finished with Iran.
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US → tell → Iran
'Well, hopefully we're toward the end of the war,' Trump said in North Carolina on his most recent trip when a reporter inquired what phase of the conflict they currently feel they are in.
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they → say → conflict
'They want to make a deal.
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They → want → deal
We'll see how that works out,' Trump said.
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Trump → see → ?
Asked whether third–party mediators were brokering discussions with Tehran, Trump rejected the idea of backchannel diplomacy, emphasizing that the US is communicating with Iranian officials 'directly.
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US → ask → officials
This all comes as Iranian strikes have left US Middle East bases heavily damaged, according to footage obtained by ABC News.
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strikes → come → News
These dramatic photos have exposed the chaotic fallout American forces are facing.
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forces → expose → fallout
Images show smashed buildings and a damaged aircraft across three key US military hubs in Kuwait and a Saudi base housing vital assets – some of which had to be hastily evacuated to save them from incoming danger.
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some → show → danger
Service personnel have reportedly shared the photos of the destruction at US bases with ABC News and CBS News.
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personnel → share → News
Ahead of next week's UN General Assembly, President Donald Trump indicated that Iran is open to a deal, setting up key talks with Gulf leaders to sketch out a postwar strategy
Wreckage believed to be from US military transport aircraft and helicopters related at a remote landing site in Iran.
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Iran → indicate → Iran
Images show destroyed aircraft reportedly used during a US special forces rescue operation to recover crew members from a downed fighter jet.
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Images → show → jet
Iranian authorities claimed their air defenses shot down multiple aircraft during the operation
OBTAINED BY ABC:
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defenses → claim → ABC
Service personnel have reportedly shared the photos of the destruction at US bases with ABC News and CBS News.
uncertain
personnel → share → News
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he hopes that the US is almost finished with Iran
US Central Command reported strikes against American bases in eight countries - Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan, according to the Defense Department inspector general's first report to Congress on Operation Epic Fury.
The inspector general put equipment losses at as much as $3.7 billion, including nearly 60 aircraft, according to CBS News.
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general → tell → News
While the administration has consistently spotlighted the impact of US strikes against Iran, it has offered far less transparency regarding the damage sustained by American personnel and installations.
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it → spotlight → personnel
Defending the ongoing offensive, Trump has framed the operation as a mandatory step to prevent Tehran from securing a nuclear weapon, maintaining that Iranian forces have already suffered overwhelming losses.
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forces → defend → losses
'Iran is officially a Failed Nation,' Trump wrote on Truth Social last month, claiming the country had 'no Navy' and 'no Air Force,' while describing its leadership as being in 'total disarray.'
But the photographs show a different story of the damage inflicted on the other side of the conflict.
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photographs → write → conflict
US facilities other places in the region have also seen major damage.
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facilities → see → damage
CBS News reported last week that Iranian strikes against Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan damaged multiple American aircraft, including an A-10 Thunderbolt that lost a wing.
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that → report → wing
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have repeatedly emphasized the effectiveness of the US campaign and its defenses, even as the newly disclosed images and Pentagon figures reveal substantial damage has been inflicted on American forces
Women stand near the building of the destroyed Shajareh Tayyebeh primary school in Minab in Iran's Hormozgan province on August 10
Personnel in protective suits inspect a heavily damaged aircraft, its radar section ripped apart in what appears to be a targeted strike on critical systems last March
Around eight F-15 fighter jets suffered lighter damage and were subsequently returned to service, according to people with direct knowledge of the incident.
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jets → emphasize → incident
Prince Sultan Air Base itself has previously come under heavy attack.
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Base → come → attack
Meantime, regional security remains on high alert: US naval forces, led by the USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea, are maintaining patrols near the Strait of Hormuz while advancing Houthi troops along Yemen's Red Sea coast spark new fears over global supply lines.
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troops → remain → lines
The Daily Mail reached out to the Pentagon for comment on this story.
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Mail → reach → story
They did not immediately respond.
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They → respond → ?
The Aporia
