New Delhi: General Dan Caine, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has privately urged senior officials to find a way out of the war with Iran, CNN reported, amid concerns that further bombing will not force Tehran to accept President Donald Trump’s terms.
Caine has discussed his concerns with the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the vice-president, JD Vance. His main worry is that continued bombing may not be enough to force Iran to accept Trump’s terms, according to CNN.
That risk is significant. Further attacks could trigger Iranian retaliation against Gulf energy infrastructure, drawing US allies deeper into the conflict. Caine’s concern is not whether the US can inflict more damage on Iran, but whether doing so would actually achieve Trump’s goals, CNN reported.
Concerns over wider escalation
The issue came to a head in late July, when Trump considered a much larger strike operation against Iran. Parts of Centcom and Israel supported the idea, but Caine and other officials were concerned about the possible fallout.
Trump eventually backed away from the plan after Middle Eastern allies warned that Iran could retaliate against their energy infrastructure. CNN reported that the option has not been permanently ruled out, but it remains shelved for now.
Running low on weapons
A second concern is the state of the US weapons stockpile. Senior commanders now consider some stocks to be dangerously low, as reported earlier by RNA, adding to concerns that have been building for weeks.
A US official said on August 7 that stocks of some key missile interceptors had become “extremely low”. The shortage is not limited to the Iran war — it is also complicating Washington’s ability to continue supplying weapons to Israel and Ukraine, adding pressure on the Pentagon to rethink its approach.
Centcom has reportedly begun exploring new ways to pressure Iran, suggesting that officials are looking beyond the current strategy.
A careful balancing act
Caine has also been careful in how he raises these concerns with Trump. While he has told other senior officials that the war needs a way out, he has avoided telling the president directly that the campaign may not achieve its goals.
At a recent White House meeting, Caine warned Trump about the US military’s dwindling weapons stocks. At the same time, he made clear that the US could still inflict heavy damage on Iran if Trump ordered more strikes.
Even before the war began, Caine and other military leaders had warned that a prolonged conflict could put further pressure on weapons needed for Israel and Ukraine.
As the war approaches the six-month mark, questions are also being raised about whether Caine has enough experience to manage such a long and complicated conflict. Before the war, he had warned about the scale of a major operation against Iran and the possible US casualties involved.
A major ground operation may be needed to decisively defeat Iran, but it could cost thousands of American lives. According to CNN, no one in the administration is currently pushing for such an operation.
Instead, the focus is shifting towards finding a way to end the war while giving Trump a result he can present as a success. Talks over the Strait of Hormuz could offer one possible path forward.