U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized media reports that General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had warned him of the potential risks of an attack on Iran, including involvement in a protracted conflict and the possibility of U.S. casualties. Trump responded to the reports in a social media post on Monday, saying Caine believed a war with Iran, which the president has threatened with military action if it does not agree to a series of demands, could be ‘easily won.’

Internal Concerns About U.S. Military Readiness

The Washington Post reported earlier in the day that Caine told Trump in a meeting last week that a lack of critical munitions and support from regional allies could hamper U.S. efforts to contain possible Iranian retaliation in the event of a U.S. attack. The report stated that U.S. munitions stockpiles, including those used in missile defense systems, have been strained due to their use to support allies such as Israel and Ukraine.

‘Caine also raised concerns about the scale of any Iranian campaign, its inherent complexity and the possibility of U.S. casualties,’ the newspaper reported, citing a person familiar with ‘internal discussions’ on the matter.

Caine’s Office Responds to Reports

Caine’s office responded to the Washington Post article by stating he was responsible for providing ‘a range of military options, along with secondary considerations and associated impacts and risks, to civilian leaders who make America’s security decisions.’

Online news outlet Axios, which also reported on Caine’s concerns during discussions with Trump, said in a report Monday evening that Caine was the only military member to brief Trump on Iran for several weeks. The outlet reported that the head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, responsible for overseeing U.S. military operations in the Middle East, has not been invited to meetings or spoken with Trump since January.

A ‘Reluctant Warrior’ Against Iran

Axios, citing two sources, reported that while Caine ‘was all in on the Venezuela operation’ to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro in January, ‘he was more cautious in discussions around Iran.’ Citing this contrast, one source described Caine as a ‘reluctant warrior’ against Iran. Caine views the stakes of a major operation in Iran as higher, with greater risk of entanglement and U.S. casualties,’ Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the high-level meetings within the U.S. administration.

Trump hit back on his social media platform against what he called the ‘fake media’ and reported that ‘General Daniel Caine…is against us going to war with Iran.’ ‘He hasn’t talked about don’t do Iran, or even the limited fake strikes I’ve heard about. He only knows one thing: how to WIN, and if he’s told to do it, he’ll be ahead of the pack,’ Trump said. ‘Everything that has been written about a potential war with Iran has been written incorrectly, and on purpose,’ the president said.

Trump has been mulling an attack on Iran for weeks, concentrating a huge array of U.S. forces in the Middle East in preparation for a possible war that could sow chaos and conflict in the region. Iran poses little discernible threat to the United States, and an unprovoked attack would likely violate international law.

Iran has expressed hope that the negotiations can bear fruit, but it has rejected what it sees as a series of maximalist demands from the United States on issues including nuclear enrichment, ballistic missiles and support for regional proxies. Analysts have noted that many of Washington’s demands on Tehran align with Israeli priorities.