US military senior officer sends email asking troops to come up with ‘new creative and unconventional ways’ to punish Iran

A senior officer at US Central Command recently sent an email to a wide group of military analysts, asking for “new creative and unconventional ways” to pressure and punish Iran, CNN reported. This unusual crowdsourcing effort highlights the limited options currently available to President Donald Trump as he attempts to force Iran into a deal. The message, sent on Wednesday, shows that the military is actively reevaluating its strategy in the region.

The search for new tactics comes as the military campaign struggles to produce the desired results. For weeks, the US has conducted air strikes aimed at degrading threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and bringing Tehran to the negotiating table, yet a deal remains out of reach. Both the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency have reportedly assessed that the current bombing campaign is unlikely to shift the Iranian negotiating position. Even Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has publicly noted the limitations of air power.

Capt. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesperson for CENTCOM, addressed the internal outreach in a statement. “U.S. Central Command has a long history of thinking and working in innovative ways,” Hawkins said. “Admiral Cooper, in particular, reaches out to members of our great team, regardless of rank, to achieve the highest levels of operational performance possible.”

Military planners are facing a difficult reality regarding potential strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities

While there is talk of targeting sites like Pickaxe Mountain, sources familiar with the planning indicate that conventional missiles and bombs are unlikely to destroy these deeply buried targets. Achieving that goal would likely require ground troops, a move President Trump has been unwilling to make due to the risks involved and the political sensitivity surrounding service member casualties. Eighteen US service members have already been killed in the conflict.

President Trump has weighed several paths forward, including a symbolic display of force described as a fireworks show. Such an action could potentially allow him to exit the war without fully achieving his goal of dismantling Iran’s nuclear program. However, this approach would not resolve the ongoing tensions regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

One source familiar with the planning noted the pressure the administration is under to find a resolution. “At the end of the day, POTUS will want a deal, so he’ll continually look for ways to get tough and get out of this,” the source said. “You need creative minds at times — especially if you’re running out of conventional options.”

The administration faces significant constraints in escalating the conflict. President Trump has received warnings from Gen. Caine about dwindling supplies of air defense interceptors. Other officials have expressed concerns about the potential for high civilian casualties if infrastructure, such as water desalination plants or bridges, were targeted. Furthermore, any decision to deploy ground troops would contradict a clear campaign promise made by the President to avoid getting the US caught in long foreign conflicts.

During a Cabinet meeting on Friday, President Trump addressed the status of the war. “I think we just want to win,” he said. “We’ll be hitting them very hard, and you know, at some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’”