United States President Donald Trump met leaders of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly as the nearly seven-month conflict with Iran continued. Gulf leaders, including Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, urged diplomacy and were expected to seek stronger security guarantees, protection for navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, and help contain Houthi advances near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Through Qatari mediators, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, also rendered Araqchi in some reports, communicated with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the first such contact since a June interim agreement or memorandum collapsed in July. Iranian officials said their conditions included ending the war on all fronts and halting U.S. acts of aggression, while Trump called the discussions productive and said momentum toward a deal was building. The contact was not face-to-face and produced no announced change in either side’s position. Brent crude remained just below $100 a barrel near a two-week low, although energy supplies and shipping remained disrupted. Washington also approved a proposed sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia estimated at $24.3 billion, subject to congressional review.