As Arab and Gulf leaders gathered in New York during the UN General Assembly’s high-level week, Iran and the future of regional security dominated Gulf commentary. The debate extended beyond how to end the current confrontation to what should follow it: whether Iran represents a structural challenge requiring a different regional model, whether deterrence must precede diplomacy, or whether negotiations remain the only sustainable path despite deep skepticism toward the international system. Across these positions, the central question is how to prevent the region from returning to the same cycle of confrontation once the fighting ends.
