Political analysts and academicians found that GCC countries need to unite to protect their security in the face of challenges presented by Iran’s threat to the region.

This was at the first panel of the fourth Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate, titled "Gulf Security: Issues and Scenarios".

The participants discussed Iran’s continued attempts to export its internal crises, and focused on the three main crises Iran is experiencing, which were: Tehran’s inability to produce a political or economic model as a country, the identity crisis due its reliance on the national complex, and the crisis of building a power model where the flaw lies within Iran’s unilateral perspective of power, which is limited to "hard power" and discounting other forms of power.

Some of the panelists also found that Iran actions in the region were a result of confusing defensive and offensive strategies, without having a clear vision.

Dr. Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, academician and researcher in Arab Gulf affairs, said despite the negative effects of the crises in the region, they provided an opportunity in the Saudi-Emirati cohesion which can improve the Khaleeji organization.