Poll: Most Americans Say US Action in Iran Has Gone Too Far

As the war launched by the U.S. and Israel enters its fourth week, a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that a majority of Americans believe the U.S. military action against Iran has been excessive. The poll, conducted March 19-23, also highlights growing concerns about the cost of gasoline amid the ongoing conflict.

While President Donald Trump’s approval rating is holding steady at about 40%, the conflict could become a major political liability for his Republican administration, according to the Associated Press.

About 59% of Americans believe that the U.S. military action in Iran has gone too far, according to the AP-NORC poll. The poll of 1,150 adults also found that 45% are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months. That figure is up from 30% in an AP-NORC poll conducted shortly after Trump’s reelection.

Preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is an important foreign policy goal for the U.S., according to about two-thirds of Americans surveyed in the poll. However, those surveyed were just as likely to say that keeping U.S. oil and gas prices from rising is an important goal, creating a difficult situation for the White House.

Keeping gas prices down is a rare point of agreement between Republicans and Democrats, the AP reported. About three-quarters of Republicans and about two-thirds of Democrats say it’s highly important to prevent U.S. oil and gas prices from going up. However, about 3 in 10 Republicans said they’re “extremely” or “very” worried about affording gas in the next few months, compared to about 6 in 10 Democrats.

The poll found that about half of U.S. adults have “only a little” trust or “none at all” in Trump when it comes to making the right decisions about the use of military force outside the U.S., which is consistent with an AP-NORC poll from February, according to the Associated Press. About 34% of U.S. adults approve of the way Trump is handling foreign policy, similar to 36% in February.