US military asks staff for ideas to pressure Iran as strike threats ease
A senior US military command has emailed staff asking for suggestions on how to apply new, creative and unconventional pressure on Iran, according to the supporting material. The request was sent to high-ranking military analysts last week and was seen by a television network, the row says. It comes amid an ongoing war between the United States and Iran that began in late February.
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The email asked for ideas to "punish" Iran, and the command's spokesperson said the force has a long history of thinking and working in innovative ways. The spokesperson also said Admiral Brad Cooper, the senior commander overseeing the Iran war, regularly reaches out across ranks to try to achieve the highest possible operational performance. The timing is notable because the message was sent shortly before Donald Trump threatened new strikes against Iran and then called them off.
The US president said his decision to cancel the attack was "subject to being able to rapidly make a deal", according to the material provided. Days earlier, US troops across the Middle East were warned that videos filmed on their phones could help Iran carry out and assess attacks on them and their colleagues. Personnel at some bases may even be ordered to hand over their devices while deployed, reflecting the security concerns surrounding the conflict.
The development matters because it shows the military and political pressure campaign against Iran continuing alongside fragile efforts to avoid further escalation. The supporting material says fighting resumed after a ceasefire with Iran collapsed, and that the US military carried out a heavy wave of strikes in retaliation for attempted Iranian strikes. It also says the war has now been going on for more than five months, after the first attacks were launched by the United States and Israel on 1 March.
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The row also points to the human cost and operational strain of the conflict. Four US troops have died in recent weeks, according to the material, and commanders are trying to limit the risk of online footage helping Iranian forces assess attacks in near real time. That suggests the confrontation is being fought not only with missiles and air strikes, but also through intelligence, communications discipline and internal planning.
What remains unclear is what specific options were proposed in response to the email, and whether any of them will be adopted. It is also not clear how far the latest pause in strike threats will hold, given the continuing fighting and the lack of progress toward a lasting settlement. The next developments to watch are whether Washington and Tehran move back toward talks, or whether the pressure campaign leads to further military action.
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