The United States and Iran have been in a stalemate, with hopes for a quick resolution being elusive for Trump's administration, which now finds itself in a difficult position.
On August 3, CNN reported exclusively that a senior officer from the U.S. Central Command sent an internal email last week, seeking ideas from military analysts on how to deal with Iran.
A source familiar with the matter revealed that the email sent on July 29 stated: "We are seeking novel and unconventional methods to pressure and punish Iran."
The second source also said that a senior U.S. military officer sent this message last week, seeking new ideas for dealing with Iran.
American military officials said that this form of ‘crowdsourcing’ email inquiries is quite rare, reflecting that Trump has very limited options when trying to force Iran to agree to the conditions. It may be difficult to make them accept these conditions. The official from the U.S. Central Command wanted to find a solution, which is why he initiated this brainstorming session via email.
Sources revealed that the U.S. Central Command is currently evaluating all possibilities and acknowledging the need to re-examine its current strategy.
Regarding CNN's report, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, Timothy Hodgins, stated in a statement: "The U.S. Central Command has a long history of innovative thinking and work. In particular, Admiral Cooper, regardless of his rank, seeks advice from every member of our excellent team to achieve the highest level of operational effectiveness."
A few days after this email was sent, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to launch new attacks against Iran, but soon called off those plans. At this time, Middle Eastern leaders including the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia are urging Trump to calm the situation through telephone calls.
In recent weeks, the United States has been launching intensive airstrikes against Iran, attempting to weaken its control over the Strait of Hormuz and bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. However, at present, there seems to be no sign of reaching an agreement between the two sides.
Trump has been considering increasing military strikes against Iran, including launching fierce bombing raids on the country's remaining nuclear facilities. However, sources say that even if the United States were to use its most powerful conventional weapons, it would be difficult to achieve much success with missiles and bombs alone, as these facilities are buried deep underground. To destroy them, the U.S. might need to employ ground forces, a huge risk that Trump has been reluctant to take.
Another source pointed out that Trump has been considering launching a similar ‘fireworks’ attack, targeting facilities that are the same or similar to those from a year ago, in order to achieve a symbolic victory that would allow him to withdraw from the war. This would even if he did not actually achieve one of his initial goals: completely eliminating Iran’s nuclear program.
“Ultimately, the President of the United States hopes to reach an agreement, so he will constantly look for ways to show a tough stance while also finding a way out,” said a source familiar with recent discussions. “Sometimes, you need a creative mind—especially when your usual options are exhausted.”
