Why is the U.S. military unusually soliciting ideas from within? CNN reveals why airstrikes are hard-pressed to force Iran to concede
Compiled by Chen Cheng-liang / Comprehensive Report
U.S. airstrikes against Iran that have continued for weeks have still not forced Tehran to accept U.S. terms. CNN has exclusively learned that the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) recently sent an unusual email to its internal analysts soliciting "creative and unconventional" pressure options, hoping to find a breakthrough for its Iran strategy, which has hit a bottleneck.
According to CNN, the email was sent by senior intelligence officials at CENTCOM, asking analysts to propose "new, creative, and unconventional" ways to pressure Iran. CENTCOM spokesperson Timothy Hawkins confirmed the matter, saying the command has long encouraged personnel of different ranks to propose innovative ideas to improve overall operational planning capabilities.
According to planning details obtained by CNN, the U.S. military is studying another strike on deep underground nuclear facilities such as "Pickaxe Mountain." However, people familiar with the planning said that even the most powerful conventional bombs would have difficulty completely destroying deeply buried nuclear facilities; to completely destroy the target, ground forces might have to be deployed, which is a high-risk option Trump has so far been unwilling to take.
The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) have also recently assessed that the ongoing airstrikes are unlikely to change Iran's negotiating position. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine recently admitted before Congress that "Air power has its limits," and bombing alone cannot achieve all strategic objectives.
Trump faces a dilemma: escalating military action carries a heavy price
CNN noted that the U.S. military has proposed options for escalating military action, such as one to two weeks of intensive bombing of Iran's missile capabilities, but Trump has not yet approved them. Besides concerns about the continued depletion of interceptor missile inventories, senior U.S. military officials also worry that attacking infrastructure such as bridges and desalination plants could cause heavy civilian casualties.
On the other hand, sending ground forces to occupy strategic positions or take control of highly enriched uranium facilities would contradict Trump's campaign promise not to involve U.S. troops in endless overseas wars. People familiar with the planning said that with traditional military means having limited effect and the cost of a full escalation being too high, the U.S. military has rarely solicited unconventional options from within, hoping to find a new breakthrough direction for its Iran strategy.
