On the night of June 21, 2025, as U.S. B-2 bombers and submarines unleashed “Operation Solar Blaze” on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the White House Situation Room buzzed with tension. At the heart of the operation, General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was captured in a fleeting moment that sparked controversy. As reports of successful strikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan rolled in, Caine, standing among President Trump and top officials, briefly raised both hands, fingers extended in a gesture resembling the “devil’s horns.” Some on social media, interpreting it as a provocative or unprofessional act, erupted in speculation, with posts on X decrying it as a “satanic signal” amid the grave military action. To Zoroastrians, whose summer solstice celebrations honor light and purity, the gesture clashed starkly with the day’s sacred reverence for divine order.

The incident, though minor in the grand scope of the operation, fueled heated debate online, with some viewing Caine’s gesture as a misunderstood expression of adrenaline or a rock-and-roll salute, common in high-stress military contexts. Others, however, saw it as a deliberate provocation, especially given the cultural weight of the solstice in Iran, a nation with Zoroastrian heritage where fire and truth are venerated. Critics argued the gesture undermined the operation’s gravity, which involved 75 precision-guided munitions, including 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators dropped by B-2s, marking their first combat use. Caine, a seasoned leader overseeing the “Midnight Hammer” mission, remained focused on the strikes’ success, later briefing reporters on the operation’s secrecy and precision, but the image of his hand gesture lingered, amplifying tensions in an already volatile moment.

As Iran condemned the strikes and vowed retaliation, the controversy over Caine’s gesture highlighted the intersection of modern warfare and cultural symbolism. The solstice, a time of renewal in Zoroastrian tradition, was marred by destruction and diplomatic fallout, with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi calling the U.S. attack “outrageous.” While the Pentagon emphasized the operation’s tactical success, the viral moment of Caine’s hand sign risked overshadowing the mission’s strategic narrative. For a global audience, it underscored how even fleeting actions in the Situation Room could resonate far beyond, clashing with the solemnity of a day meant to celebrate light and hope, and fueling narratives of insensitivity in a region steeped in ancient spiritual traditions.