As the Trump administration considers whether to pursue another round of strikes against Iran following the attack on the Iranian nuclear program in June of 2025, experts warn that renewed strikes could lead to far different consequences this time around. General Joseph Votel, a member of CERL’s Executive Board, cautioned on NBC News that rather than strictly targeting U.S. and Israeli military personnel, Iran could attempt to regionalize the conflict and pursue oil resources in the gulf states to trigger a more protracted war. 

General Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Army (Ret.), is the former Commander of the U.S. Central Command. He is a Distinguished Military Fellow at the Middle East Institute and a member of the CERL Executive Board. Read his bio here. 

The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of any organization or university.