US military asks for ‘new’ ideas to deal with Iran after its crushing defeat: Report

A senior officer at the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) has asked military analysts for “new” ideas to deal with Iran following Washington’s crushing defeat in the war against Tehran, a report says.

“We are looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran,” an officer in CENTCOM’s intelligence branch wrote in a message sent to a broad group of military analysts on Wednesday, CNN cited a source familiar with the message.

A second source confirmed that a senior US military officer sent the message last week, soliciting fresh ideas on how to address Iran.

The report described the unusual crowdsourcing-style query over email as a sign of the limited, and potentially unpalatable, options available to Trump to force Tehran into a deal on his terms.

Hoping to find an alternative, the CENTCOM official initiated the brainstorming session via email to see if anyone had a better approach. The second source said CENTCOM is examining every possibility and acknowledging the need to reevaluate its strategy.

“US Central Command has a long history of thinking and working in innovative ways,” Capt. Timothy Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, claimed in a statement.

“Admiral Cooper, in particular, reaches out to members of our great team, regardless of rank, to achieve the highest levels of operational performance possible.”

The email preceded Trump’s threat to hit Iran “hard,” which he later canceled after regional countries sought a pause amid efforts to reach a possible agreement, and following warnings from Tehran that any new US or Israeli aggression would face strong retaliation.

The reported plans emerged amid continued tensions following Iran’s resistance to US pressure tactics and military aggression. Iranian officials have repeatedly warned that any new attack by Washington or Tel Aviv would trigger a strong response.

During a phone conversation on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan that Tehran remained prepared to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security.

“Any hostile action by the US or Israel, or participation or cooperation by regional countries in such actions, would be met with a decisive and proportionate response from Iran’s powerful armed forces,” Araghchi said.

Confrontation will continue until US stops bullying, accepts Iran’s legitimate demands: Assembly of Experts

Iran’s Assembly of Experts says the Islamic Republic is determined to keep confronting the United States until Washington quits bullying and accepts the legitimate demands of the Iranian nation.

The latest round of war against Iran began on February 28, when US and Israeli forces launched large-scale strikes on Iranian territory. Iran responded with daily waves of missiles and drones targeting US and Israeli assets across the region while closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran and the US later signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 17 in an effort to end the war across all fronts. However, renewed US military aggression against Iran in recent weeks has prompted Tehran to resume missile and drone strikes against US assets in the region and close the Strait of Hormuz once again.

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