“There’s a lot of debate about whether the UN is useful,” said Luciano Zakal, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University in Qatar. He added, “The situation is much more complex than it was a year ago; the war has lasted for more than six months, and apart from very brief ceasefires, no issues have been resolved diplomatically so far.” Zakal said he was not optimistic that bilateral dialogue could lead to “peace in one of the conflicts in the Middle East,” as he expected participants to simply “reaffirm their existing positions.” “Of course, Pezehizian will go there to reiterate Iran’s willingness to resist and not succumb to US pressures,” Zakal said. “I don’t expect Trump to make any statements that change what he’s already doing.”
