Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine has privately made clear to other top Trump advisers that the US needs to find an off-ramp from the war with Iran, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Caine is looking for an off-ramp because the military options on the table to escalate the conflict could backfire and airpower alone is unlikely to achieve President Donald Trump’s stated objectives.

Concerns About Military Options

Caine has discussed concerns about the military options for escalating the conflict and raised the prospect of finding an off-ramp from the war with other key Cabinet officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance. The top US general has recently side-barred with some of those key, like-minded Trump advisers in an effort to facilitate interagency coordination and ensure they are on the same page ahead of meetings with the president.

Trump has consistently appeared averse to the idea of deploying ground troops in Iran, instead signaling he believes that air bombing can force them to agree to a deal on his terms. Caine and others in Trump’s cabinet privately view that outcome as unlikely and instead have sought to develop other options that fit within the president’s own parameters, according to multiple sources familiar with recent discussions.

Limits of Air Power

Caine has become more vocal about the potential second and third-order effects of potential US escalation in recent weeks. He has reiterated during meetings that the US military can inflict massive damage on Iran if Trump ultimately decides to go forward with an operation that would escalate the war. However, Caine has also made clear that bombing alone is unlikely to achieve Trump’s stated objectives, at this stage of the war.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.