PANews reported on April 5th that, according to Jinshi, Middle East scholar Mohammad Ali Shabani stated in an interview that he believes US President Trump is prepared to carry out his threat to strike key Iranian infrastructure, which risks a serious escalation of the regional situation. Iran, in turn, is sending a signal to the US that it "will not back down" by attacking Kuwaiti infrastructure. He added, "The current situation is somewhat like a standoff, with neither side having a path to a dignified exit. Under these circumstances, I think the possibility of a serious escalation in the region within the next 24 hours is very high."