Pentagon Flags Iran Risks --- Chairman of Joint Chiefs expresses concern about perils of a long campaign

 

 

“WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is raising concerns to President Trump about an extended military campaign against Iran, advising that war plans being considered carry risks including U.S. and allied casualties, depleted air defenses and an overtaxed force.

 

The warnings have largely been voiced by Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, within the Defense Department and during meetings of the National Security Council, current and former officials said, but other Pentagon leaders also have noted similar worries.

 

Such discussions are always part of the contingency-planning process before military operations, some officials said, noting that military leaders -- especially the Joint Chiefs chair -- provide prudent estimates of possible casualties and other potential costs of military operations.

 

Options being studied for strikes on Iran range from initial limited strikes to a dayslong aerial campaign aimed at toppling the regime. All options carry risks, but a prolonged campaign in particular could incur significant costs to U.S. forces and munitions stockpiles, officials said, complicating the protection of regional partners if Iran is able to retaliate. If the U.S. uses up large amounts of air-defense munitions and other items that are in limited supply, it could also impact preparations for a possible future conflict with China.

 

Officials say the issues raised by Caine, widely seen as a trusted aide by Trump, and others will be a factor in the president's decision on whether to attack Iran and how. Officials say Trump has yet to make up his mind. The U.S. has assembled the largest amount of air power in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq war, including an aircraft-carrier strike group. A second carrier is now in the Mediterranean.

 

"General Caine is a highly respected professional whose job requires providing unbiased information to the Commander in Chief, which he does perfectly," said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly. "President Trump listens to feedback from all members of his national-security team, and he is always the final decision maker."

 

The Trump administration is still negotiating with Iran about a potential deal that the U.S. hopes would block Tehran's pathways toward a nuclear weapon, which Iranian leaders have denied pursuing, while curbing its ballistic-missile program and its support for regional proxy militias such as Hezbollah and Hamas. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, officials say, where Iran is expected to present its positions to Trump's peace envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

 

Iran has threatened to retaliate as hard as possible against any U.S. attack, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week said his forces could sink a U.S. warship.

 

In a sign of growing fears about how Iran and its regional proxies might respond to U.S. strikes, the State Department on Monday announced the evacuation of nonemergency personnel and the family members of staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon. Washington has long been worried about Iranian-backed militia groups striking U.S. targets and Americans abroad in response to U.S. attacks.

 

Any military operation carries risks, but a sustained campaign against Iran would likely be among the most complex and dangerous military operations launched by Trump, with the potential to pull the U.S. into a broader war in the Middle East.

 

Caine, who has held posts in the Pentagon's most highly classified programs and the CIA, is being conservative in his assessment of potential risks posed by an operation against Iran, the former and current officials said.

 

A spokesman for Caine said the chairman, in his role as military adviser to the president, defense secretary and National Security Council, provides civilian leaders with military options including risks.

 

Axios earlier reported Caine's internal discussions about risks.” [1]

 

1. World News: Pentagon Flags Iran Risks --- Chairman of Joint Chiefs expresses concern about perils of a long campaign. Ward, Alexander; Seligman, Lara; Holliday, Shelby.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 24 Feb 2026: A6.