US military is asking staff to email suggestions on how to ‘punish’ Iran

Sarah Hooper | Live News Reporter Published August 4, 2026 2:39pm Updated August 4, 2026 2:39pm To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In a bizarre turn of events, the US military has emailed staff and asked them to submit suggestions on how to ‘punish’ Iran as the war drags on. A senior US military command sent out the email to high-ranking military analysts, seen by CNN, last week, asking for ‘new, creative, and unconventional ways to pressure and punish Iran’. The email is the latest bid by Donald Trump’s administration to end the ongoing war with Iran, which began in late February. Spokesperson for CENTCOM, Captain Timothy Hawkins, told CNN: ‘U.S. Central Command has a long history of thinking and working in innova