Most US voters oppose strikes on Iran, disapprove of Trump’s handling, poll finds

ISTANBUL

A majority of registered US voters disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of the situation involving Iran and believe the United States should not have carried out military strikes against the country, according to a new NBC News poll.

The survey found that 54% of voters disapprove of Trump’s management of the Iran issue, while 41% approve. Another 5% said they were unsure or had no opinion.

Similarly, 52% of respondents said the United States should not have taken military action against Iran, compared with 41% who support the decision. Seven percent said they remain uncertain.

While opinions largely fall along party lines, the poll found a small but notable share of Republican voters unhappy with the decision to launch military action in the Middle East.

The survey also showed a clear generational divide, with younger and older voters responding differently in the early stages of the conflict.

The results offer an early look at how Americans are reacting to a major military operation initiated by a president who campaigned during his 2024 bid to return to the White House against prolonged overseas conflicts.

Historical polling by NBC News shows that public opinion initially supported earlier US military interventions.

Surveys conducted between early 2002 and early 2003 found that most Americans backed military action to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq.

Similarly, in October 2001, during the early phase of US strikes in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 attacks, 87% of Americans supported President George W. Bush’s handling of the war on terrorism, and a similar share approved of the air campaign against the Taliban.

In both cases, however, public sentiment later shifted, with a majority of Americans eventually concluding that those wars were not worth the cost.

Support for the strikes on Iran is significantly higher among Republicans overall.

About 77% of Republican voters say the United States was right to strike Iran, while 15% disagree.

The poll also showed divisions within the party. Among Republicans who identify with Trump’s Make America Great Again, or MAGA, movement, 90% support the strikes and 5% oppose them.

Among Republicans who do not consider themselves part of the MAGA movement, 54% support the action while 36% oppose it.