William Hartung, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, cautions against U.S. military action targeting Iran, warning of severe consequences reminiscent of the Iraq War. That conflict was sold as a "cakewalk" but resulted in trillions of dollars spent, hundreds of thousands of casualties and a legacy of veteran trauma. Hartung doubts a single strike would suffice and says Iran's likely retaliation against U.S. forces could ignite a wider conflict, challenging Washington's strategic calculus in an already volatile region.