Jordan University international relations professor Hasan Balari said Trump’s
refusal to meet Iran’s compensation demand is aimed at eroding Tehran’s
negotiating leverage. The US has described the demands as “unrealistic and
unverifiable,” and Balari said accepting them would amount to admitting US
responsibility for the war; both sides have since raised their asks. He said the
US position rests on military power, a de facto maritime blockade of Iranian
ports and Iran’s economic deterioration, but both sides show weaknesses — US
military capacity is limited and Iran’s political and military positions are
weak. Balari identified the Strait of Hormuz as Iran’s primary remaining
leverage and said Tehran will seek to maximise that card to compel a US return
to the memorandum framework; he said the standoff is likely to continue unless
maintaining the status quo becomes costlier than returning to the memorandum.
