The ongoing war in Iran is as unpopular with Americans as the Vietnam War was in the 1970s, according to a new poll – indicating President Donald Trump’s efforts to spin a positive narrative on the military operation have not resonated with people.
Approximately 61 percent of the 2,560 people surveyed by Ipsos, The Washington Post and ABC News said the United States made a mistake in using military force against Iran. Just 36 percent of people said it was the right decision.
That is the same percentage of people who said the U.S. sending troops to Vietnam was a mistake in 1971, according to Gallup, and a similar percentage of people – 59 percent – who said the U.S. made a mistake going to war with Iraq in 2006, according to the Washington Post.
Since the start of the Iran conflict, which began at the end of February, Americans have been skeptical of the president’s motivations in the Middle East and the feasibility of his goals.
But two months in, with more than a dozen U.S. servicemembers killed, gas prices rising, the global oil supply disrupted and failed negotiations to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, public approval continues to dwindle.
The Vietnam War is largely considered one of the most unpopular wars in history. Only 29 percent of people say the Vietnam War was justified, according to a 2025 Emerson College poll.
The U.S. was part of the Vietnam War for roughly eight years, and it generated intense controversy throughout the country and led to deep mistrust in the government.
Despite polling numbers and the ongoing conflict, Trump and members of his administration continue to assert that the U.S.’s mission abroad has been a massive success and declared that America has already won.
Trump has said the U.S.’s strikes have resulted in “a new, and more reasonable, regime,” but reports say the opposite, claiming the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has become more aggressive and radicalized.
Gas prices have risen dramatically across the country due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. While the U.S. has conducted a blockade on Iranian ports, Iran has retaliated by closing the strait, which is responsible for transporting roughly 25 percent of the world’s oil.
However, the administration insists prices will come down as soon as the war ends – but there’s no indication when that may be.
During a House Armed Services Committee this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was accused of being in a “quagmire” or a hazardous situation that is difficult to escape. Hegseth vehemently denied the allegation.
But Americans are skeptical that the war is winnable.
A majority of respondents to the Ipsos-Washington Post-ABC News poll, 65 percent, said they are not confident that any agreement with Iran will prevent the regime from developing a nuclear weapon.
