Former U.S. Office of Iran Affairs Director Joe Hood stated that if Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders adopt a "unified" stance when meeting with U.S. President Trump at the UN General Assembly next Tuesday, it might have some influence on Trump. Hood said, "But they need to take a different approach than in the past, instead of continuing to try to resolve the crisis through mediation in the face of Iran's ongoing attacks on Omani waters, Qatari territory, and Saudi oil pipelines." He explained that the Mecca Agreement reached between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan could be combined with the already formed naval alliance. He further stated, "Perhaps we could tell Iran that they will deploy this force to the Gulf and the northern Arabian Sea to monitor maritime traffic and ensure that no threatening force can pass through… This will not be a military operation, but a peaceful monitoring mission."
