Even Erik Prince is warning the Trump administration to exercise extreme caution in Iran - particularly when it comes to boots on the ground.

The founder of Blackwater, whose private military contractors became synonymous with the U.S. quagmire in Iraq, is pushing back hard on current U.S. strategy toward Iran. Prince issued a sobering warning at CPAC last week. Speaking on the "Breaking Stuff and Killing Bad Guys" panel, Prince expressed deep skepticism about the current trajectory of U.S. involvement in Iran:

"I don't share the optimism of the administration that there's going to be a peaceful stop to this. They will burn it down."

He then highlighted the particular dangers of committing ground forces:

"And my real concern is that if they try to put boots on the ground and force the Strait of Hormuz, you will see imagery of burning American warships in the next couple of weeks. And I don't think people are really prepared for that."

Prince is "extremely concerned" about the escalation and noted that Iran's leadership has been preparing for conflict with the U.S. for decades.

Echoes of Earlier Warnings

Prince cautioned strongly against any US ground commitment nearly a month ago in a March 1 appearance on Steve Bannon's War Room.

"Don't ever contemplate ground troops in Iran," he said. "I don't think a regime has ever been changed by air power alone. It's wishful thinking."