Joint Chiefs Chair Pushing For Iran War Off-Ramp, Warning Escalation Will Backfire

In another sign of mounting pressure on President Trump to disengage the US armed forces from his failing, five-month war on Iran, America’s top general has been carefully working with other Trump advisers to communicate that continued depletion of the Pentagon’s arsenal is unlikely to alter Iran’s stance, while escalation is likely to backfire, CNN reported on Friday evening, citing “sources familiar with the matter.” 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine has been using side conversations with cabinet officials — including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance — to ensure they have a shared, clear picture of the military situation before they meet with Trump, CNN’s sources say. Summing it up, one said, “Caine is looking for an off-ramp.”

In a July congressional hearing, Caine said “airpower has its limits.” Nicknamed “Razin Caine,” the general said to be reiterating that caution in his behind-the-scenes discussions with likeminded officials who think a major escalation of US attacks on Iran could cause disastrous fallout for the region and US interests.“There really isn’t much else to hit since it is whack-a-mole with drone and missile sites. Bombing power plants would be publicly a lot more significant,” one source said. Others said hitting Iranian infrastructure would likely rally the country’s citizens around the government — even more than the war has done already 

Last weekend, the US military seemed poised to carry out Trump’s threat to unleash “the biggest attack since World War II,” but he called it off, at least in part because of profound concerns raised by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Iran had promised to wreak havoc up and down the Gulf. “The only ones in favor of the operation were elements of CENTCOM,” said one source, referring to the Pentagon’s Central Command, which is responsible for action in the Middle East. The source also pointed out that Israel also wants escalation of the war.   

The U.S. Intelligence Community assessed this & consistently briefed it. Unfortunately, it was the Israeli government & their lobbyists who convinced the President that Iran would be as easy as Venezuela. https://t.co/C1Vw7L06OH

— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) August 7, 2026

“I think it is just his way of protecting the military,” a source said about Caine’s cautionary campaign. In addition to squandering the lives of at least 18 US service members and wounding more than 600 more, the five-month Trump-Netanyahu war on Iran has severely depleted the US arsenal. Referring to Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), two sources this week told Reuters that “Washington has used virtually all of these weapons,” further substantiating earlier media reports and think tank studies that sounded alarms over dwindling munitions. It’s not just offensive weapons that are running out: Low air defense missile supplies are also of grave concern, particularly to Gulf states that would face what would likely be a devastating Iranian backlash to a major new US assault on Iran.   

Earlier this year, one source criticized Caine for failing to pointedly counsel Trump on the pitfalls of taking on such a well-equipped and geologically-protected adversary. “He’s definitely pulling punches,” the source said then, adding that Caine was much more candid with fellow military officers than with his commander-in-chief. Now, Caine is apparently intensifying his approach. Though warning of the dwindling arsenal, Caine is said to have assured Trump that, if he does order a major escalation, the Pentagon could manage to cause plenty of destruction across Iran. However, it probably wouldn’t put a crack in Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, much less substantially affect the nuclear situation that was fraudulently advanced as the casus belli – for decades: 

NEW: CNN compiled a series of clips showing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warning since 1996 that Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. pic.twitter.com/HSyWkoj6OB

— GBC (@GBC_Press) August 4, 2026