US Central Command (CENTCOM) has asked its military analysts to come up with "creative and unconventional" ways of pressuring and punishing Iran, according to a CNN report citing sources familiar with the matter.

A senior officer in CENTCOM's intelligence branch sent an email last week to a wide pool of military analysts requesting "new, creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran." A second source told CNN the request came from a senior US military officer looking for fresh thinking on how to handle Tehran.

CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Timothy Hawkins responded to the report by defending the command's culture of innovation, saying it has "a long history of thinking and working in innovative ways," and that its commander, Admiral Cooper, regularly seeks input from personnel across all ranks to maximize operational performance.

Trump running out of options

CNN frames the unusual crowdsourcing request as a symptom of Washington's dwindling options for forcing Iran into a deal on Trump's terms. The email reportedly prompted CENTCOM to start reassessing its overall strategy.

Notably, the request went out before Trump threatened fresh attacks on Iran, a threat he then walked back over the weekend, allegedly after regional pressure, particularly from Saudi Arabia's crown prince, urging de-escalation.

Source:Websites