US Central Command asks analysts for 'creative, unconventional' ideas to pressure Iran as air campaign stalls

The email request

A senior officer in the intelligence directorate of US Central Command sent an email last week to a broad group of military analysts with a direct appeal: 'We need ideas.' The officer asked recipients to identify new ways Iran could be pressured and punished, two sources familiar with the message told CNN. One source said the email explicitly sought 'new, creative and unconventional ways to exert pressure and punish Iran.'

Military officials described the mass email solicitation as unusual. One source told CNN that CENTCOM is examining all options and believes the current strategy must be reassessed after weeks of bombardments failed to bring Tehran to accept Washington's terms.

US Central Command has a long tradition of innovative thinking and action. Admiral Cooper specifically reaches out to members of our team, regardless of rank, to achieve the highest possible standards of operational performance.

Captain Timothy Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, did not directly comment on the email's content but said the command routinely seeks innovative solutions. He added that Admiral Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, frequently solicits input from personnel at all ranks.

The air campaign and its limits

The United States has launched multiple waves of strikes against Iranian targets in recent weeks. CENTCOM announced that on 29 July it struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps objectives, including command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance systems, and naval capabilities. The operation followed what the US military said were several Iranian ballistic missile launches against American forces in the Middle East, all of which were intercepted.

More than 50,000 US troops are currently deployed in the region. Despite the bombardments, US intelligence services assess that the current air campaign will not be enough to compel Iranian leadership to shift its negotiating position. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged the limits of the campaign before Congress.

Trump's aborted offensive

The email was sent before President Trump threatened a new massive offensive against Iran. Trump later abandoned the attack at the last moment after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other Gulf leaders contacted him by phone and urged him to prioritise dialogue and avoid widening the conflict. Trump himself stated that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar asked him to suspend the bombardments to facilitate efforts to negotiate a deal with Tehran.

Trump declared that negotiations would resume on Monday and claimed Iran itself had asked him to stop the attack he had ordered, which he described as 'the largest since the Second World War.'

The Islamic Republic is not currently conducting negotiations with the US, but with Oman to secure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei denied direct talks with Washington, stating that Iran is negotiating only with Oman regarding the security of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Options under review

Sources close to military planning told CNN that the Pentagon is preparing multiple scenarios, including further strikes on Iran's remaining operational nuclear installations. Among the targets under consideration is the underground complex known as the Pickaxe Mountain, which Western intelligence services believe houses materials or equipment linked to Iran's nuclear programme.

The same sources indicated that even the most powerful conventional weapons may be insufficient against certain hardened targets. The conflict has now lasted five months, and a ceasefire agreement reached in June to pave the way for comprehensive negotiations has since collapsed, leaving no clear path to a peace deal.