Out of depth? US is crowdsourcing 'creative and unconventional' ways to punish Iran

US military is reportedly at the edge and is now seeking “creative and unconventional” ideas from a broad group of military analysts, CNN reported on Monday. The email brainstorming session kicked off just ahead of US President Trump’s threat to launch new strikes against Iran, and later backtracking on them after a call with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, who requested him to descalate.

"We are looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran,” the email reportedly read. The email suggests that the US is currently out of depth as the US President continues to go back and forth over a potential deal; he threatened and then bombed Iran for more than a week and then threatened to strike the Pickaxe mountain again, and then again backed off. CNN reported that both the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defence Intelligence Agency have assessed that the US air campaign is unlikely to produce any results and their military might is unlikely to achieve much, as the nuclear facilities are buried deep underground.

Also Read: Russia says Ukrainian drone attack on Black Sea beach kills 7, injures 40

Trump is seemingly looking for an exit ramp, without wanting to take the next step in the escalation ladder, which is a ground invasion. But the Trump administration knows this will be a highly unfavourable battle for its troops, as the US has already lost eighteen service members, with further questions being raised about a lack of transparency over casualties. Trump is further considering another “fireworks display”, but that is not going to be decisive on the central contention of the war, i.e., the Strait of Hormuz.

A CENTCOM spokesperson also told CNN: “U.S. Central Command has a long history of thinking and working in innovative ways.” “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,” said one of the sources as quoted by CNN. “You need creative minds at times — especially if you’re running out of conventional options.” Or the last option is that the conflict becomes the status quo, which Trump himself has criticised as “forever wars”. It will be dangerous not just for the US but for the entire global economy. Trump, during a briefing with the national security team, shouted and screamed profanities about the progress of the war, which he predicted would last four to five weeks. During another meeting with his cabinet last Friday, Trump said that he will hit Iran very hard, and "you know, at some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’”