Trump denies that US military commanders "opposed going to war with Iran"

US President Trump said that the reports by the US media that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military, Gen. Kelly, opposed military strikes against Iran were untrue.

Xinhua News Agency reported that on Monday (February 23rd), Trump posted a message on social media platforms, saying that he "would prefer to reach an agreement with Iran", but if no agreement could be reached, it would be "a very bad day" for Iran.

Trump said that the reports claiming that Kane opposed the US military action against Iran were "100% incorrect", and accused some media of spreading "fake news".

He said that Kane and "all of us" did not want to see war either. However, if the US decided to take military action against Iran, Kane believed that "it would be a straightforward victory". Kane has never said that he would not go to war with Iran.

Trump also emphasized that "the final decision on whether to take military action against Iran is in my hands."

The US news website Axios reported on Monday that Kane reminded Trump that military actions against Iran might carry significant risks and could potentially drag the US into a prolonged conflict.

Two sources told Axios that Kane fully supported the US military operation against Venezuela in January this year, but was more cautious when discussing Iran. He believed that launching a large-scale military operation in Iran would carry greater risks, be more prone to entanglement, and result in casualties among US troops.

One of the sources said that Kane would support and carry out any decision made by Trump, although he did not advocate for a military strike against Iran.