US military official asks colleagues for creative ways to punish Iran in ‘unusual’ request

Published August 3, 2026 3:20pm ET | Updated August 3, 2026 3:21pm ET



A senior U.S. Central Command official sent an email last week to colleagues looking for new and creative ideas for how to pressure Iran into capitulating to U.S. demands.

“We are looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran,” an officer in CENTCOM’s intelligence branch wrote in the email to a group of military analysts.

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