Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine told President Donald Trump and senior officials that any military campaign against Iran would carry ‘serious risks’, foremost among them the possibility of a prolonged conflict and American casualties, said Al Arabiya Net.
According to a US official, Trump has formed a ‘narrow circle of advisers’ to study the available options regarding Tehran, following an approach he previously adopted when considering action against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, aimed at preparing alternatives.
The source noted that Caine ‘is not calling for a military strike’, but would carry out any decision taken by the President. In recent weeks, he has been the only military commander to provide Trump with direct briefings on Iran.
While some assessments suggested Trump was moving closer to the strike option, another source said he agreed to give diplomacy ‘an additional opportunity’, stressing that the president wants to ‘exhaust all options’ before making a final decision.
l The State Department is pulling out non-essential government personnel and their eligible family members from the US embassy in Beirut, a senior State Department official said yesterday, amid growing concerns about the risk of a military conflict with Iran.
“We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel,” said a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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