Top US general said to urge Trump to exercise caution on Iran military action

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine has cautioned President Donald Trump and senior American officials that a military campaign against Iran could carry serious risks, including the possibility of becoming entangled in a prolonged conflict, the Axios news site reports, citing sources familiar with internal deliberations.

According to the report, Caine – Trump’s top military adviser – has warned that the stakes in Iran are higher than in the recent US operation in Venezuela, which saw the capture of former leader Nicolas Maduro, and that a strike could lead to significant US casualties and broader regional escalation.

While not opposing military action outright, one source described him as a “reluctant warrior” on Iran, with another source saying that Caine is “clear-eyed and realistic” in his assessment of what success would look like and what could follow once hostilities begin.

The report comes amid an ongoing debate within the administration over whether to pursue a strike or continue diplomacy. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been pressing the president to give negotiations more time and are scheduled to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Thursday. They have argued that US leverage will grow with time and that Trump should exhaust diplomatic avenues before taking military action.

Axios reports that Trump has been leaning toward military action in recent days, but agreed to allow additional diplomatic efforts before making a final decision.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for military action, but Axios cites a US source as saying he left a meeting with Trump last week unsure where the president stands, reportedly asking afterward whether Trump is “still with us.”