Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine has privately warned senior Trump administration officials that the United States needs a way to wind down its war with Iran, CNN reported Saturday, citing three sources familiar with the matter.

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Monday.U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Monday.Close

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Monday. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., Monday. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS

Caine has discussed his concerns with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, two of the sources said. In recent weeks, he has also held separate discussions with some of the officials to coordinate their positions ahead of meetings with President Donald Trump and emphasize the limitations and potential pitfalls of the military options available to the administration, including those that would not require deploying U.S. ground troops.

Caine warned that further military escalation could backfire and that airpower alone is unlikely to achieve Trump’s objectives in the war, according to CNN.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (R), speaks as Jennifer Hegseth, (L) President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and guests listen during a meeting about military families, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, in Washington.Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (R), speaks as Jennifer Hegseth, (L) President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and guests listen during a meeting about military families, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, in Washington.Close

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (R), speaks as Jennifer Hegseth, (L) President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and guests listen during a meeting about military families, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, in Washington. Credit: Alex Brandon/AP

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (R), speaks as Jennifer Hegseth, (L) President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and guests listen during a meeting about military families, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, in Washington. Credit: Alex Brandon/AP

Caine’s spokesman, Joseph Holstead, told CNN that the Pentagon does not discuss the chairman’s confidential conversations with Trump, the defense secretary or other senior officials, and does not comment on “anonymous, agenda-driven characterizations” of those conversations by people who were not privy to them.

The warnings come as Washington signals progress toward a possible deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official told Reuters Friday that the two sides were expected to reach an agreement soon, after which Washington would lift its blockade of Iranian ports and allow commercial shipping to resume without impediments.