Trump frustrated with favorite general over consequences of his own actions
Source: msn/Daily Beast
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President Trump reportedly took his top military boss to task over a vital oil route remaining snarled as a result of his Iran war. Trump, 79, is said to have leaned on Gen. Dan Caine, 57, to explain why battlefield dominance has not translated into instant control of the Strait of Hormuz, despite Caine having repeatedly briefed him on the likely closure of the waterway ahead of the war.
The New York Times reported Sunday that the president ”pressed” Caine in the Oval Office last week about why the Strait of Hormuz could not simply be reopened. The problem, as the Times reported, is that Iran can still threaten commercial traffic in the narrow waterway with small boats, mobile weapons and explosive devices, even after major damage to its conventional forces. The risk has kept many shipowners and insurers wary of sending tankers through the strait.
That has left the administration looking at a harder and slower fix. The option under discussion is to have the U.S. Navy escort commercial shipping through the strait. But the Times reported that such a plan would likely still be weeks away. It would require more ships, more defensive systems, and further attacks on the Iranian weapons that still menace the passage.
In multiple briefings ahead of the war, Caine had repeatedly warned Trump that Iran could respond to any American attacks by closing the strait, The Wall Street Journal reported last week. Trump is said to have responded by arguing that Iran would likely surrender before even having time to shut down the waterway.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-frustrated-with-favorite-general-over-consequences-of-his-own-actions/ar-AA1YKuwO
Caine is the current Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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