As the Iran war has dragged on for nearly half a year, voices within the U.S. military calling for an exit strategy are growing.
On the 8th, CNN, citing sources, reported that Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), urged key aides in the Trump administration to find a way to get out of the Iran war. One source said, "Caine is looking for a way out (of the Iran war)."
According to the sources, Chair Caine believes that airstrikes alone make it difficult to achieve the war's objectives and could even backfire. He has therefore been discussing ways to end the war with senior administration officials, including the secretary of state, the CIA Director-General, and the vice president.
Some officials in the Donald Trump administration, including Chair Caine, also expressed concern about the additional strikes against Iran that President Trump released late last month. One source said, "Only some within U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) supported the operation."
Earlier, President Trump signaled that the United States and Israel would carry out massive strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure over the weekend. But he later abruptly scrapped the plan, saying, "We received requests to hold off on any attack because there has been agreement on a framework for a deal from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries."
According to CNN, Chair Caine has warned since before the war broke out that a prolonged conflict could severely deplete U.S. weapons stockpiles, which could in turn disrupt support for Israel and Ukraine. In fact, the United States is said to be rapidly running down inventories of key weapons, including Patriot and THAAD interceptor missiles.
Caine recently raised concerns about dwindling munitions stockpiles in at least two meetings with President Trump. The meetings also reportedly discussed the possibility of the war expanding further.
Among Trump administration officials and experts, there is a growing view that Iran will be hard to decisively subdue without deploying ground forces. But because a ground war could result in thousands of U.S. casualties, almost no one is publicly making a strong push for it.
CNN reported that Caine and other aides are focusing on crafting an exit strategy that would allow President Trump to declare "victory" while getting out of the war. In particular, they are said to be seeking a breakthrough that would hand Trump a symbolic win through diplomatic outcomes such as reopening the Strait of Hormuz.