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President Trump is said to be planning a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in New York on Friday, after an attack that has rattled Persian Gulf states.
By Ismaeel Naar and Adam Rasgon
Ismaeel Naar reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Adam Rasgon from Tel Aviv.
Sept. 12, 2025Updated 10:16 a.m. ET
President Trump is expected to meet with the Qatari prime minister on Friday, days before an emergency summit of Arab states in response to Israel’s deadly strikes targeting Hamas leaders in Doha this week.
The meeting between Mr. Trump and the Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, is scheduled to take place in New York, according to two officials familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the unannounced plans. Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s envoy for the Middle East, is also scheduled to attend the talks, the officials said.
The Israeli attack on a residential compound in Doha, the capital of Qatar, has unsettled Persian Gulf states that have long seen Washington as their main security guarantor. Qatar, a key American ally that hosts the biggest U.S. military base in the Middle East, was also acting as a mediator in indirect cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas. It was hosting the political leadership of the Palestinian armed group at the behest of the United States.
Sheikh Mohammed has called the Israeli strikes in Doha an act of “state terror,” and Qatar will hold an emergency summit of Arab leaders in the capital on Sunday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has framed them as retaliation for the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in which hundreds of Israelis were killed and abducted.
Sheikh Mohammed is expected to meet with Mr. Trump after holding discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday morning that are likely to focus on the strikes and could include talks about a defense deal between the countries. Mr. Rubio will travel to Israel on Saturday, according to the State Department.
In May, Mr. Trump signed a “letter of intent” with Qatar about a defense deal, an arrangement that could see the emirate spend billions of dollars on more American military equipment, according to the White House. After Israel launched the attack in Doha, Mr. Trump said on social media that he wanted Mr. Rubio to finalize an agreement.
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