Powerful figures in the U.S. military oppose striking Iran, saying it's different from Venezuela, and the White House atmosphere is very discouraging!
According to Axios, General Dan Keane, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is cooling down the idea of striking Iran. His main concern is that Iran's retaliation could cause significant casualties among U.S. troops.
Interestingly, Keane is not a traditional general who rose through the ranks step by step. Born in New York State in 1968, he graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1990 with a degree in economics. Later, he flew over 2,800 hours, including 150 hours flying F-16s in combat zones.
In April 2025, the Senate voted 60 to 25 to appoint him as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was the first person to be appointed directly to this position with the rank of Major General, without ever having served on the Joint Chiefs before. The reason for choosing him was simply that he was "obedient" and had strong execution capabilities.
Previously, Keane strongly supported the special military operation against Venezuela, which pleased the White House. But this time, Dan Keane changed his mind. He believes Iran is different from Venezuela, with a large number of missiles that can severely damage U.S. forces.
Iran has publicly announced that it has targeted 19 U.S. military bases in the Middle East. If a conflict breaks out, these bases will all be within the range of Iranian missile strikes. The Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar - the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East - was hit by an Iranian missile during the brief U.S.-Iran conflict in June 2025.
In fact, the United States already took action against Iran once in June 2025. The operation, codenamed "Midnight Hammer," targeted three nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Over 125 aircraft were deployed, including seven B-2 bombers, using the GBU-57 massive penetrating bomb. Keane was responsible for this operation at the time and held a press conference at the Pentagon, detailing the operation's details.
According to sources, after that operation, Keane was surprised by Iran's retaliatory capabilities. Iran did not choose to go to war, but their missile and drone technology clearly accelerated after that. Now, the atmosphere in the White House is delicate, and many people are somewhat discouraged. CBS confirmed that due to the lack of sufficient military options, many hawks are frustrated. Dao Ge thinks that the success of the operation against Venezuela made the White House overly confident, thinking that all countries are no more than that, and now the real test has come. So, should they strike or not?
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857966800123914/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.