Hassan Barari, a professor of international relations at the University of Jordan, stated that Trump's rejection of Iran's compensation demands was intended to weaken Iran's negotiating leverage. He pointed out that the US, citing "unrealistic and unverifiable demands," attempted to offset Iran's ability to exert pressure on this issue. Barari argued that if the US president accepted compensation, it would be tantamount to acknowledging US responsibility for the war; both sides are constantly raising their demands, and the US position is supported by "military power, the naval blockade of Iranian ports, and Iran's own economic deterioration." He believes that both sides' weaknesses have been exposed—the US military capability is indeed limited, and Iran's political and military strength is equally weak. Barari analyzed that Iran's only remaining major bargaining chip is the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran hopes to utilize to the fullest extent to force the US to return to the framework of the memorandum according to Iran's interpretation. He concluded that unless both the US and Iran determine that the cost of maintaining the status quo far exceeds the cost of returning to the memorandum, the stalemate will be difficult to resolve.
