Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine has privately urged senior Trump administration officials to seek an exit from the Iran war, arguing that further military escalation risks proving counterproductive after more than five months of fighting.
Caine raised the drawbacks of available military options in discussions with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, warning that US ammunition stockpiles have been heavily depleted. He and other officials have expressed caution toward plans drafted in late July for intensified strikes. Many inside and outside the government believe defeating Iran would require a major ground operation.
The push for an off-ramp follows requests for creative strike ideas that underscored the limits of the air campaign. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said operations have cost an estimated $37.5 billion and asked Congress for $67 billion to replenish weapons, while a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows just 28 percent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the conflict.