Strategic retreat: US general advises exit from Iran war

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, has informed Donald Trump's advisors that the United States must find a way to exit the conflict with Iran. Caine's assessment is that airpower alone is insufficient to achieve Trump's stated objectives, which include protecting US forces and citizens in the region, ensuring the transit of essential security assistance to Israel against Hamas attacks, and deterring the expansion of the war beyond Gaza.

The article suggests that while the immediate objective of securing the release of captives following Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, raid was achieved, Israel and the US have since engaged in a full-scale war against Iran and its ally Hezbollah without fully considering the consequences. This has led Iran and the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil and natural gas exports, potentially triggering a worldwide economic downturn.

Negotiations are reportedly underway through a second channel opened by Iran and Oman, aiming for joint management of the shipping channel. Iranian and Omani officials indicate that the pre-war status quo will not return. While they do not plan to impose tolls, they intend to implement transit controls and charge fees for services. Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps has already targeted unauthorized vessels, forcing others to wait.

Iran's demands for resuming full commercial traffic through Hormuz include the lifting of US sanctions, an end to efforts to oust the regime, the cessation of US naval restrictions, compensation for losses, and an end to attacks on its regional allies and threats against the country. Tehran also insists that the US must abandon demands for Iran to halt its nuclear program and export enriched uranium, despite alleged damage to Iran's nuclear research sites and the burial of enriched uranium.

The article posits that Trump allowed the US to be drawn into a conflict it is likely to lose, rather than using his influence with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to de-escalate. It suggests Netanyahu is determined to remain in office, using the warfare to secure his position ahead of a legislative election, and faces potential prosecution for corruption once he leaves office.