AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Reports by American media indicate the spread of doubts in the White House regarding the effectiveness of the U.S. army's attacks in the southern regions of Iran, which lasted for 13 days.
Axios, citing two sources, reported that Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, has proposed halting attacks in areas around the Strait of Hormuz, because, according to him, these attacks have reached their maximum effectiveness.
These sources said that Cooper's recommendations, along with those of other advisors to Donald Trump, led him to decide on Friday to halt attacks against Iran. Both military and civilian advisors to Trump have pointed out the limitations of military options against Iran.
CNN also reported that J.D. Vance, the U.S. Vice President, and General Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned Donald Trump during a key White House meeting about the dangerous and unintended consequences of escalating the war with Iran.
In this meeting, Caine specifically warned about the concerning situation and the severe depletion of U.S. strategic ammunition stockpiles, an issue that had also been brought to Trump's attention before the start of the conflict.
In response to these reports, Steven Cheung, the White House Communications Director, issued a statement saying that Trump always prefers to achieve results through diplomacy, but if Iran's threats in the Strait of Hormuz or against U.S. allies continue, all military options will remain on the table.
He added that given the severe economic sanctions and 13 days of sustained blows to military targets, the wisest course for Iran is to enter into serious negotiations.
On the other hand, the Pentagon has also emphasized that the U.S. military has sufficient capabilities and capacity to protect the country's interests and execute the President's orders at the desired time and place.
However, according to CNN, the depletion of U.S. weapons stockpiles has sparked a wave of severe criticism from Democratic representatives.
Senator Chris Van Hollen, criticizing Trump's performance, announced that entering this conflict was a mistake from the beginning, and the daily consumption of interceptor and defense missiles has endangered the security of U.S. forces and the country's deterrent capability in other parts of the world.
Mike Waltz, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, had previously admitted that part of the U.S. ammunition stockpile had been depleted due to aid to Ukraine and U.S. attacks on the Houthis in the Red Sea. Despite this, he claimed that the process of replacing weapons with more advanced ones is underway.
CNN wrote that despite his harsh public positions, Trump has secretly ordered his diplomatic team to keep dialogue channels with Iran open. Simultaneously, the Persian Gulf countries have also called for Washington's restraint in their recent consultations.
According to this report, the overall assessment of Trump's close advisors and Pentagon officials is that escalating airstrikes without sending ground forces will not yield the desired results for Trump, and this has made the options before the White House more complicated.
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