Why the Pentagon doubts the effectiveness of strikes on Iran – opinion

The Pentagon is expressing growing skepticism about the effectiveness of airstrikes on Iran. General Dan Caine warns of the risk of escalation and the depletion of precision-guided munitions. The military is leaning toward a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, is urging the White House to find an exit strategy from the conflict with Iran. According to CNN, there is a growing conviction in the upper echelons of US military leadership that the strategy of massive airstrikes has exhausted its potential and cannot compel Tehran to make a deal favorable to Washington. The main reasons for skepticism are the risk of a backlash from escalation, the depletion of precision-guided munitions, and the lack of strategic perspective. In closed consultations, Caine warned Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe about the danger of further inflaming the conflict. In his view, increasing the intensity of attacks only strengthens Iran's resistance. US arsenals have shrunk to potentially dangerous levels, as Caine reported to Donald Trump. The military recognizes that airstrikes do not guarantee the achievement of political goals and is leaning toward seeking a diplomatic exit to avoid a protracted war of attrition.