Paul Musgrave, associate professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, stated that while the United States possesses a powerful military, it has so far failed to achieve its desired results in the war against Iran, and the current situation has evolved into a contest of who will "break down" first. He pointed out that the length of time that either Washington or Tehran can withstand economic or political blows depends on how much each party is willing to pay to reach a more favorable agreement. Musgrave stated that Iranian hardliners are unwilling to back down for fear of appearing weak, and instead are attempting to inflict "maximum humiliation" on President Trump before the midterm elections. He also believes that the difficulty of this war far exceeds Trump's expectations, and from the president's perspective, the bigger problem lies in the fact that America's air power, munitions, and deterrent measures have consistently failed to force him to achieve the desired outcome.
