Pentagon is emailing military experts and asking best way to 'punish' Iran: Report
The Trump administration seems to be struggling to figure out how to get out of its self-made Iran quagmire.
According to a CNN report on Monday, the US military is now crowdsourcing ideas among military experts for what to do next in order to push Iran into a deal that is to President Donald Trump's liking.
"We are looking for new creative and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran," an email from an officer in US Central Command's (Centcom) intelligence branch read last week, according to the CNN report.
A Centcom spokesperson said the move is not unusual, and that it "has a long history of thinking and working in innovative ways".
But the email suggests the Pentagon did not plan for the conflict to drag out this long.
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The on-again, off-again US-Israeli war on Iran, which began on 28 February, led to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has sent energy prices skyrocketing and directly impacted Trump voters.
On Sunday, Saudi Arabia's state media said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had spoken to Trump over the phone, and reportedly stressed "the necessity of prioritising dialogue to de-escalate tensions and the importance of exerting all possible efforts to achieve a truce, which paves the way for diplomatic solutions".
Talks
Iran has denied that any talks are ongoing with the US despite a claim by Trump, who called off strikes on the country on Saturday.
Trump announced that negotiations with Iran would begin on Monday after he decided to hold off on new strikes against the Islamic Republic in order to pursue a deal.
"Obviously, they don't want to be attacked," Trump told reporters on Sunday on board Air Force One.
"Now what we're doing is we're talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon."
However, Iran's foreign ministry has said there were currently no negotiations with the US but that talks were taking place with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz.
The foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said discussions with Oman were "constructive" and aimed at reaching an agreement on a new route.
"We are not currently negotiating with the United States. Our negotiations are with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz," Baghaei said during a press briefing.
"We hope that both regional and extra-regional actors will appreciate this responsible move by Iran and adopt a constructive approach."
He added that as long as a US naval blockade on Iranian ports continues, "the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain unchanged".
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