Averos Strategies CEO Jasmine El‑Gamal: US-Iran Stalemate Deepens, Trump-Xi Summit Offers Potential Leverage

The standoff between the United States and Iran is hardening, with neither side willing to make concessions as each believes it holds the stronger position. This assessment comes from Jasmine El‑Gamal, Founder and CEO of the strategic advisory firm Averos Strategies and a former adviser to the US Department of Defense. Speaking at the HSBC Global Investment Summit in Hong Kong, El‑Gamal framed the conflict as a strategic deadlock, suggesting a mutual perception of strength is preventing diplomatic progress and prolonging regional instability.

El‑Gamal's analysis points to a critical geopolitical calculation where both Washington and Tehran see more risk in backing down than in maintaining pressure. This entrenched posture elevates the potential for miscalculation and sustained tension. Against this backdrop, she identified a separate but potentially pivotal event: the upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Trump-Xi meeting, according to El‑Gamal, could provide President Trump with a platform to build leverage. By coordinating with key partners, including China, the US administration might gain additional diplomatic tools to 'dial down' the Iran tensions. This positions the bilateral summit not just as a US-China trade event, but as a possible inflection point for managing a separate, volatile conflict in the Middle East, linking great-power diplomacy directly to regional security outcomes.