President Donald Trump has forcefully rejected reports suggesting that his senior-most military adviser urged restraint over potential US air strikes on Iran, insisting instead that the general in question believes any such conflict would be swiftly and decisively won.
According to multiple US media outlets, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, cautioned in internal discussions that military action against Iran could carry significant risks. Reports indicated that Caine warned strikes might trigger retaliation across the Middle East, potentially drawing the United States into a broader and more protracted confrontation.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump dismissed the accounts as “fake news,” pushing back strongly against the suggestion that his top military adviser had advised against action. “General Caine, like all of us, would like not to see war, but, if a decision is made on going against Iran at a military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won,” Trump wrote. He added that the general had not argued against military action, nor had he endorsed what Trump described as “fake limited strikes” reported in the press. “He knows only one thing, how to win, and, if he is told to do so, will be leading the pack,” the president said.
The dispute comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and a significant US military build-up in the region. In recent weeks, the United States has reinforced its forces in what analysts describe as one of the most substantial deployments in decades, a move widely interpreted as pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear programme.
Outlets including Axios and The Washington Post reported that Caine and other Pentagon officials raised serious concerns during internal meetings about the potential consequences of a strike. Citing sources familiar with the discussions, Axios said the general was among several figures within Trump’s inner circle advocating caution, warning that military action could provoke retaliatory strikes by Iranian-backed groups or necessitate a deeper and longer US engagement.
Diplomatic efforts have continued alongside the military signalling. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, are scheduled to meet Iranian negotiators in Geneva in the latest round of talks aimed at defusing the standoff. The president, however, has publicly acknowledged that he is weighing the option of a limited military strike if negotiations fail to produce what he calls a “meaningful deal.”
On 19 February, Trump said the world would know “over the next, probably, 10 days” whether diplomacy would succeed or whether the US would move toward military action. “We have to make a meaningful deal otherwise bad things happen,” he warned, underscoring the administration’s impatience with the pace of negotiations.
Even as talks proceed, US forces have continued to expand their footprint in the region. The build-up includes large numbers of refuelling aircraft, heavy-lift planes and substantial naval assets, enhancing America’s operational flexibility and strike capacity. Earlier this week, Witkoff told Fox News that Trump was questioning why Iran had not yet “capitulated” in response to Washington’s show of force.
Maritime tracking data has confirmed that the USS USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, passed through the Strait of Gibraltar en route to the Mediterranean. The carrier had briefly broadcast its location off Morocco’s Atlantic coast before heading east. Ship-tracking information also indicated that the USS USS Mahan, one of the destroyers in the Ford’s strike group, transited the same route.
The Ford is believed to be sailing toward the Middle East, where another US aircraft carrier, the USS USS Abraham Lincoln, was tracked earlier in the week. Together, the deployments represent a formidable concentration of naval firepower.
Military analysts say the scale of the current deployment provides Washington with significantly greater depth and sustainability than during previous operations, including last June’s air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities or January’s operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The enhanced posture could allow for sustained operations if required, while also serving as a deterrent designed to influence Tehran’s calculations.
As the State Department pursues negotiations and the Pentagon maintains its elevated readiness, Trump’s public defence of General Caine signals an effort to project unity within his administration. Yet the reports of internal caution highlight the gravity of the moment, with decisions taken in the coming days likely to shape not only US-Iran relations but the broader security landscape of the Middle East.
