According to a Politico analysis, the biggest obstacle to a deal ending the conflict between the US and Iran may not be the technical details of the nuclear regime, nor the trade sanctions - but Donald Trump's ego.

Trump's negotiating style is built on „piling on insults, mocking opponents and insisting he wins everything", the analysis writes. It's a style that works in US domestic politics - but not in international negotiations with states like Iran, where every compromise has to be framed in a way that does not humiliate the other side before its own people.

An Arab official from the Gulf, quoted anonymously, said: „Trump is desperate to end this. But the Iranians for now refuse to give him what he needs to save face and walk away. And he doesn't seem to understand that they too need to save face."

Iranian officials are clear: they will not accept a deal that looks like „total capitulation to Washington". Their „red lines" include the right to civilian uranium enrichment - exactly what Trump wants permanently restricted. It's a technical dispute that has run for 20 years. What is new is the political psychology of a president who thinks in terms of „win vs loss", not „sustainable compromise".

Trump has a personal history with Iran that goes back to the 1979 hostage crisis. That means it's not just politics - it's personal revenge in the form of state strategy. When one negotiator carries 45 years of personal frustration and a strong personal ego that won't allow „half-victories", reaching a reasonable compromise becomes mathematically impossible.

For the Balkans this is not a distant question. War in the Middle East directly affects fuel prices, travel tourism and the safety of air corridors. When Trump insists on „victory with capitulation", and Iran refuses, prolonged military action becomes a likely reality. Which means: another year of high fuel prices, another year of pressure on airlines, another year of an economy waiting for a „geopolitical solution".

The question Politico raises indirectly: can a president change his mind because a realistic deal demands it? Trump's history says - no. Iran's history says the same - they won't capitulate to a speech. When both sides operate on this model, negotiations collapse before they begin.