Al-Monitor | Jack Detsch: The Donald Trump administration insisted today that ratcheted up financial and diplomatic pressure has cut into Iran�s profit margins amid the downing of an American drone in the Strait of Hormuz.

But though top US officials have asserted that the "maximum pressure" campaign seeks to halt Tehran-backed proxies and bring the Islamic Republic to the table for fresh talks, an expert said the American effort could backfire, failing to cripple Iran�s economy and turning the population against the United States.

�If the core question is will this maximum pressure campaign lead to an economic collapse in Iran, I can tell you from an economic point of view, no,� Bijan Khajehpour, a Vienna-based economist and managing partner at Eurasian Nexus Partners, said at an Al-Monitor Middle East Mornings breakfast today. �This situation is not leading to society as a whole questioning the Iranian government. It�s leading to the society as a whole distrusting the Americans more than before.�

Read more here