While in the past few weeks US President Donald Trump has been boasting about the country's military might, reports are emerging that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine has been urging the Potus' top advisers that Washington needs to find an "off-ramp" from the war with Iran.

Three sources told CNN that General Caine is looking for alternatives because he believes that military options on the table to escalate the conflict could backfire. The sources also said that the military chief also thinks that American airpower alone is unlikely to achieve President Donald Trump's stated objectives.

"Caine is looking for an off-ramp," one of the sources said bluntly. According to CNN, General Caine is not alone in his view that the ongoing US-Iran war has reached a crossroads. The sources noted that Caine has raised the prospect of finding an off-ramp from the war with other key Cabinet officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.

"I think it is just his way of protecting the military," one of the sources told CNN, referring to Caine's discussions with other top national security officials within Trump's cabinet about the Iran war. It is pertinent to note that Trump has consistently appeared averse to the idea of deploying ground troops in Iran. He believes that air bombing can force them to agree to a deal on his terms.

Caine thinks otherwise

However, the report suggested that Caine and other top officials in the Trump cabinet privately view that Trump's intended outcome is unlikely. Sources said that the top US general is seeking to develop other options that fit within the president's own parameters.

"We do not discuss the Chairman's confidential conversations with the President, the Secretary, or other senior leaders, nor do we comment on anonymous, agenda-driven characterisations of those conversations by sources who were not privy to them," General Caine's spokesperson Joseph Holstead told CNN.

Meanwhile, a White House official lauded Caine's contributions to Trump's national security team, telling CNN: "General Caine is an incredible asset to President Trump's national security team, and the overwhelming success of Operations Epic Fury, Midnight Hammer, and Absolute Resolve speaks for itself."

"The General always provides accurate, unbiased information and a host of options to the Commander-in-Chief, who ultimately makes decisions based on what he feels is best for US national security," the official added.

Dealing with the president

According to CNN, while Caine has raised his concern, the US general has been mindful of preserving his relationship with Trump. The American leader's top officials have been careful in how they conveyed the potential downsides of military options when presenting them directly to Trump.

"Caine was doing his job by recently raising potential downsides of military options for escalating the conflict — including concerns about the already depleted US munitions stockpile — during a White House meeting with Trump and other top officials late last month," two sources told CNN.