Retiring chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, denied recommending a military attack on Iran during former President Donald Trump’s administration, contradicting claims by the former president and his then-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. In an interview with CNN, Milley stated, “I can assure you that not one time have I ever recommended to attack Iran.”
Milley served as President Trump’s top military officer during the last 16 months of his term and was actively involved in significant events such as the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 and actions surrounding January 6, 2001. Milley has also been implicated in special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment against Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
During a July 2021 meeting recorded on audio, President Trump claimed that Milley authored a plan to attack Iran—a claim Milley refutes. “I don’t know the document they’re talking about. I’ve never seen—no one’s presented me with what it is they’re talking about,” he said.
Milley’s denial comes as Meadows, in his book The Chief’s Chief, insists that the general had urged President Trump to attack Iran multiple times. “I can tell you with certainty that this chairman never recommended a wholesale attack on Iran,” Milley concluded in the interview.