Pentagon Warns of Risks in Large-Scale Operation Against Iran...“Concerns Over Deepening Ammunition Shortages”

"Top U.S. Military Leaders Oppose Strike on Iran"
Trump Pushes Back: "I Am the One Who Decides"

U.S. Navy website

Foreign media have reported that the top U.S. military leadership is opposing President Donald Trump’s plan to attack Iran, citing ammunition shortages, among other reasons. The U.S. military is said to have expressed the view that an airstrike on Iran would be difficult, given that ammunition shortages have already become severe due to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. President Trump, however, is pushing back, insisting that these reports are not true.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 23rd (local time), Dan Kane, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other senior U.S. military leaders warned during a National Security Council meeting with President Trump at the White House last week that attacking Iran would entail high risks. Citing a Pentagon official, the WSJ reported, “Chairman Kane conveyed concerns that in the event of a large-scale, prolonged operation against Iran, there could be significant U.S. military casualties and that the depletion of stockpiled munitions could weaken U.S. air defenses.”

Axios, a U.S. political media outlet, also quoted two sources as saying, “Chairman Kane advised President Trump and senior officials that a military operation against Iran could carry substantial risks, particularly the possibility of becoming entangled in a long-term conflict,” and added, “Vice President J.D. Vance likewise raised concerns about intervening in Iran, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio remained neutral instead of arguing for or against the strike.”

The reason top U.S. military leaders voiced concern is that a prolonged air campaign could inflict considerable losses on U.S. troop levels and ammunition stockpiles. The WSJ reported, “Options for attacking Iran range from limited airstrikes to operations aimed at regime change, but in any scenario, expending large quantities of air-defense munitions and other materiel could also affect preparations for potential future conflicts with China,” adding, “President Trump himself has not yet made a decision on whether to attack Iran or on what form such an operation would take.”

President Trump has moved to refute these foreign media reports. Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, he wrote, “The fake news media are spreading stories claiming that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff opposes a war with Iran,” and argued, “General Kane, like all of us, does not want to see war, but his view is that, from a military standpoint, if a decision is made to confront Iran, it would be something we could win easily.”

He went on, “Chairman Kane has never said that we will not attack Iran,” stressing, “I am the one who makes the decisions. I would much prefer to reach an agreement, but if we do not, it will be a very bad day for that country and its people.”