The majority of American voters disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling US military action in Iran, a new poll shows.
At the direction of Trump, the U.S., partnered with Israel and started launching military strikes against Iran over the weekend in an operation dubbed “Epic Fury.”
The strikes have killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of other senior officials, according to the Associated Press. Iran has retaliated with its own strikes against Israel and several Gulf states. Six American service members were killed in an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait.
A new Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies poll conducted for NBC News found 54 percent of American voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the situation in Iran and 41 percent approve.
When asked specifically whether the U.S. should have taken military action against Iran, 52 percent said it should not have. Just 41 percent agreed with Trump’s decision to strike Iran.
Trump won the 2024 election on an “America First” agenda. During his victory speech, Trump said, “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted Monday that the U.S.-Israeli strikes would not drag out into an “endless” conflict.
“This is not Iraq. This is not endless,” Hegseth said, referring to the U.S.-led invasion into that country that carried on from 2003 to 2011.
The U.S. Central Command says that Operation Epic Fury’s goal is to “dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus,” as Trump claims, without any proof, that Iranian forces were planning to attack American forces before the strikes.
Earlier this week, Trump said U.S. military involvement in Iran could last at least “four to five weeks,” adding, “We have capability to go far longer than that.”
On Tuesday, the Republican-led Senate failed to pass a War Powers Resolution, which would’ve required Congressional approval for further strikes.
