Joint Chiefs of Staff – War Watch

Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | Defense Department | Hegseth, Pete | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Peters, Gary | Powell, Colin L | Senate | Trump, Donald J | United States Defense and Military Forces | United States International Relations | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026)

Gen. Caine’s Silence on Iran War Leaves Questions About Military Strategy
ByGreg Jaffe May 13, 2026

The president’s top military adviser is walking a tightrope as he leads the military through a divisive and unpopular war.

Read More Gen. Caine’s Silence on Iran War Leaves Questions About Military Strategy
Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | Defense and Military Forces | Hegseth, Pete | Hezbollah | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Lebanon | Pakistan | Peace Process | Ships and Shipping | Strait of Hormuz | Trump, Donald J | United Arab Emirates | United States | United States Defense and Military Forces | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026)

Trump Says U.S. Pausing Efforts to Guide Ships Through Strait Blocked by Iran
ByEric Schmitt, Greg Jaffe, Leo Sands and Erica L. Green May 5, 2026May 6, 2026

President Trump said a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would “remain in full force.” The shift came after the defense secretary said U.S. efforts to free trapped vessels would continue.

Read More Trump Says U.S. Pausing Efforts to Guide Ships Through Strait Blocked by Iran
Defense and Military Forces | Defense Department | Hegseth, Pete | Iran | Iran-Israel Proxy Conflict | Iran's nuclear programme | Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Middle East | Netanyahu, Benjamin | Peace Process | Pezeshkian, Masoud | Sharif, Shahbaz | Threats and Threatening Messages | Trump, Donald J | United States International Relations | United States Politics and Government | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026) | Vance, J D | War and Armed Conflicts

Trump Finds Himself With Fragile Iran Cease-Fire After the Scramble to Make a Deal
ByTyler Pager, Katie Rogers and Farnaz Fassihi April 9, 2026April 9, 2026

After careening from one diplomatic extreme to another, President Trump finds himself with a fragile deal that is already showing signs of fraying.

Read More Trump Finds Himself With Fragile Iran Cease-Fire After the Scramble to Make a Deal
Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | Defense Department | Geneva conventions | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Trump, Donald J | United States Defense and Military Forces | United States International Relations | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Struggles to Justify Trump’s Threats
ByGreg Jaffe April 7, 2026April 7, 2026

The president’s apocalyptic rhetoric clashes with the responsibility of Gen. Dan Caine to protect the military’s honor.

Read More Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Struggles to Justify Trump’s Threats
Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | Central Intelligence Agency | Defense Department | Hegseth, Pete | internal-open-access-from-nl | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Maduro, Nicolas | Mossad | Netanyahu, Benjamin | Ratcliffe, John Lee (1965- ) | Rubio, Marco | Trump, Donald J | United States International Relations | United States Politics and Government | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026) | Vance, J D | Wiles, Susie

How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran
ByJonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman April 7, 2026April 7, 2026

In a series of Situation Room meetings, President Trump weighed his instincts against the deep concerns of his vice president and a pessimistic intelligence assessment. Here’s the inside story of how he made the fateful decision.

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Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | Defense Department | Hegseth, Pete | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Strait of Hormuz | Tehran (Iran) | Trump, Donald J | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026) | War and Armed Conflicts

Here’s What Happened in the War in the Middle East on Tuesday
ByAnushka Patil March 31, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took questions from reporters for the first time in nearly two weeks.

Read More Here’s What Happened in the War in the Middle East on Tuesday
Bahrain | Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | Defense and Military Forces | Drones (Pilotless Planes) | Eid al-Fitr | Great Britain | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Japan | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Khamenei, Ali | Khamenei, Mojtaba (1969- ) | Kharg Island (Iran) | Kuwait | Middle East | Missiles and Missile Defense Systems | Netanyahu, Benjamin | North Atlantic Treaty Organization | Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline | Persian Gulf | Ravanchi, Majid Takht | Strait of Hormuz | Trump, Donald J | Turkey | United Arab Emirates | United States | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026) | War and Armed Conflicts

U.S. Attacks Iranian Targets to Try to Open Strait of Hormuz
ByAdam Rasgon, Eric Schmitt, Francesca Regalado and Michael Levenson March 20, 2026March 20, 2026

The Israeli military said it had killed the spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and Iran warned that it could target American and Israeli military personnel.

Read More U.S. Attacks Iranian Targets to Try to Open Strait of Hormuz
Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | Defense Department | Hegseth, Pete | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Shajarah Tayyebeh (Minab, Iran) | Ships and Shipping | Strait of Hormuz | Trump, Donald J | United States International Relations | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026)

Hegseth Vows Lethal Day in Iran as Air War Intensifies
ByGreg Jaffe March 13, 2026March 13, 2026

At a news conference, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave no indication of how long it would take before the Navy could escort civilian cargo ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Read More Hegseth Vows Lethal Day in Iran as Air War Intensifies
Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | Defense Department | Drones (Pilotless Planes) | Hegseth, Pete | International Relations | Iran | Iran-Israel War (2025- ) | Iran's nuclear programme | Iraq | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Middle East | Military Bases and Installations | Missiles and Missile Defense Systems | Trump, Donald J | United States Defense and Military Forces | United States Politics and Government | US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026) | War and Armed Conflicts

Iranian Military Shows It Knows How to Adapt, U.S. Officials Say
ByHelene Cooper and Eric Schmitt March 10, 2026March 10, 2026

Iran appears to be targeting what it views as American vulnerabilities, including air defenses meant to guard troops and assets in the region.

Read More Iranian Military Shows It Knows How to Adapt, U.S. Officials Say
Araghchi, Abbas | Arms Control and Limitation and Disarmament | Caine, John Daniel (1968- ) | internal-open-access-from-nl | International Atomic Energy Agency | Iran | Iran's nuclear programme | Israel | Israel–Iran War | Joint Chiefs of Staff | Khamenei, Ali | Kushner, Jared | live-detached | Middle East | Nuclear weapons | Ratcliffe, John Lee (1965- ) | State Department | Trump, Donald J | United States Defense and Military Forces | United States International Relations | Vance, J D | War and Armed Conflicts | Witkoff, Steven

Trump Considers Targeted Strike Against Iran, Followed by Larger Attack
ByJulian E. Barnes, David E. Sanger, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt February 22, 2026February 28, 2026

The top negotiators plan to meet in Geneva on Thursday for last-ditch talks, debating a new proposal that could create an off-ramp as two carrier groups massed within striking distance of Iran.

Read More Trump Considers Targeted Strike Against Iran, Followed by Larger Attack