General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has privately urged senior Trump administration officials to find an exit strategy from the war with Iran, arguing that the military options under consideration could backfire and that air strikes alone are unlikely to achieve the president's stated objectives.

The reported assessment comes more than five months after the United States and Israel began military operations against Iran on February 28. The conflict has continued through ceasefires that collapsed, renewed military exchanges and efforts to negotiate arrangements affecting the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route between the Gulf and the Arabian Sea.

Three people familiar with the internal discussions said Caine has raised his concerns with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe.

The chairman's spokesman declined to discuss confidential conversations, while the White House and State Department have not publicly addressed the account.

Caine's reported position does not amount to a call for immediate withdrawal.

Rather, it reflects a military assessment that expanding an air campaign may not compel Iran to accept Washington's terms, which include curbing its nuclear programme and restoring unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The available evidence from the conflict has reinforced the distinction between damaging military targets and securing a durable political settlement.

The general has also reportedly sought to explain the risks of escalation without undermining the president's authority.

In cabinet discussions, he has described the limits of military options, including options short of deploying American ground forces.

Trump has repeatedly expressed reluctance to launch a large-scale ground operation in Iran, which could entail substantial casualties and deepen domestic opposition to the war.

The debate has been sharpened by concern over the consumption of American munitions.

Air and missile defences in the Middle East have relied heavily on systems designed to intercept Iranian missiles and drones, while U.S. inventories are also under pressure from broader global commitments.

The administration disputes that stockpiles are inadequate and says the United States retains ample munitions while expanding production.

Those constraints reportedly influenced Trump's decision in late July to pause a planned escalation.

Regional partners had warned of potential Iranian retaliation against energy infrastructure, while officials also weighed the challenge of protecting U.S. forces and allied facilities if fighting intensified.

Central Command and Israel were reported to have supported the operation, but the president chose not to proceed at that time.

Caine has previously been associated with warnings about the risks of a prolonged campaign.

Before the war began, he was reported to have cautioned that shortages of key munitions and limited regional support could expose U.S. forces to greater danger.

Trump publicly rejected suggestions that the military expected a difficult campaign, saying at the time that any conflict could be won easily.

The administration has not ruled out future strikes.

For now, Trump's decision to hold back the wider operation has left diplomacy, force protection and the management of depleted air-defence stocks at the centre of the U.S. approach to Iran.