Trump heaps praise on Middle East leaders at UN meeting on Iran war

Trump heaps praise on Middle East leaders at UN meeting on Iran war US President Donald Trump held a highly anticipated meeting with Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, where he showered high praise on the officials but left the meeting with no major announcements on the turmoil in the region. Shortly before his meeting on Tuesday, Trump confirmed to reporters that his envoys had sat down with Iranian officials for a three-hour discussion, as all sides seek a face-saving off-ramp from the war. "They had a very good meeting, a very productive meeting," he said. "They have another one scheduled in the very near future." As he later sat down with regional stakeholders, Trump referenced his negotiators, special envoy for peace missions Steve Witkoff, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has no official role within the administration, as having led the talks. "We'll see what happens with that... We've been mediating for a while, but I think there's a lot of momentum for them to make a deal. That's what we're hearing from everybody," Trump said. Read more: Trump heaps praise on Middle East leaders at UN meeting on Iran war US President Donald Trump meets with Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on 22 September 2026. From left to right: Prime Minister of Iraq, Ali al-Zaidi; President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; King of Jordan Abdullah II; Trump; Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani; President of Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa; and Prime Minister of Egypt Mostafa Madbouly (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via AFP)