Paul Musgrave, associate professor of government at Georgetown University Qatar, points out that US President Trump's attempt to exert economic pressure on countries that maintain trade ties with Iran is a goal that "will be very difficult to achieve." He states that Trump is attempting to implement sanctions unilaterally—the kind that traditionally requires multilateral coordination—meaning he must secure the cooperation of key powers such as Russia and the permanent members of the UN Security Council. However, he adds that if Trump can actually push through these sanctions, it could still bring "some results" for the US. Musgrave also notes that one advantage for the US is that Iran's trade is highly concentrated in a few countries, including the UAE, which has already suspended related trade.
