According to a report by Al Jazeera on May 23, 2026, Professor Paul Musgrave of Georgetown University in Qatar said that while US President Donald Trump has sought to increase pressure on Iran, the strategic situation may be shifting in Tehran’s favor.
Musgrave said Tehran currently holds more leverage in the ongoing negotiations than Washington. “The only card that President Trump has to play right now is to make the Iranians think that if they don’t come to a deal now, the pain will be greater,” he told Al Jazeera.
He also pointed to economic consequences inside the United States since the escalation began on February 28, noting that fuel prices for American consumers have risen by more than 50 percent, adding to domestic pressure on the administration.
“Everybody knows that it’s President Trump who’s under the greater political pressure,” Musgrave said, underscoring the internal factors influencing Washington’s position.
The professor further cautioned against assuming that recent developments necessarily indicate de-escalation. He warned that Trump could still choose to restart hostilities to preserve political credibility or “save face” if he believes the United States has been “pushed around.”….Read_More…