Fewer than a quarter of American voters want the United States to go to war with Iran, according to a new poll. RNA - The Hill-HarrisX survey taken over the weekend indicates that just 19% of respondents want US President Donald Trump to launch strikes against Iran while just 5% want a formal declaration of war.
In all, 58% of those who participated in the poll said they want Trump to adopt a non-military response to Iran's downing of an American surveillance drone last week.
Roughly 20% stated that they are unsure what the US response should be.
In terms of partisanship, the new poll suggests Republicans are only slightly more interested in a military confrontation with Iran with 31% saying they wanted either military strikes or a declared war. Only 16% of Democrats and 27% of Independent voters wanted the same.
Over two-thirds of Democrats want the president to pursue a peaceful response to the drone's downing.
On Thursday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force announced it used the Iran-made short-range and mid-altitude 'Third of Khordad' missile defense shield to bring down the US spy drone over the country's Southern coasts. The incident marked the first direct Iranian attack on US assets and came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
On Monday, Trump sanctioned a host of Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and his office amid bristling tensions. In addition, Washington sanctioned eight senior leaders of the IRGC, including the commanders of its air force and ground forces, and five naval district leaders. And Trump further instructed that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif be sanctioned later this week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced.
Tensions around Iran have been rising since Trump torpedoed the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposed sweeping sanctions targeting large swathes of Iran’s economy. Recently, Washington raised the stakes in the standoff, sending additional military assets – including a carrier strike group, a bomber task force, and Patriot missiles – to countries bordering Iran.
847/940