BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 28. Mohamad Elmasry, professor of media studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, stated that despite the recent exchange of strikes between the United States and Iran, both sides are still more likely to continue pursuing diplomacy rather than return to full-scale war.
TurkicWorld reports that, in comments to Al Jazeera, Elmasry warned that continued military exchanges increase the risk of a broader regional conflict, although current signals from both Washington and Tehran suggest neither side seeks an all-out confrontation.
“We’ve had a few days now of this kind of back and forth, and the longer this goes on, I think, the greater the risk that we could end up back into an all-out war situation,” Elmasry said.
At the same time, the analyst argued that the United States framing its recent military operations as “defensive” is an important indication that Washington still prefers to avoid direct large-scale war with Iran.
Elmasry also noted that Iran’s response so far has remained relatively limited, which he said indicates that Tehran is likewise attempting to avoid uncontrolled escalation.
According to the analyst, former US President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that Washington holds the upper hand in negotiations and that Iran is eager to secure a deal. However, Elmasry suggested that Tehran continues to maintain significant leverage and is refusing to accept terms it does not consider favourable.
“The US launched these latest strikes out of frustration as negotiations aren’t going as he expected,” Elmasry said.
The comments come amid ongoing tensions surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme, regional military activity and concerns over possible escalation involving US and Iranian forces in the Gulf region.
