By Jason Lange
WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) – Only one in four Americans approves of the U.S. strikes that killed Iran’s leader, while about half — including one in four Republicans — believe President Donald Trump is too willing to use military force, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Sunday.
Some 27% of respondents said they approved of the strikes, while 43% disapproved and 29% were not sure. About nine in 10 respondents said they had heard at least a little about the strikes, which began early on Saturday.
The poll showed that 56% of Americans think Trump, who has also ordered strikes in Venezuela, Syria and Nigeria in recent months, is too willing to use military force to advance U.S. interests. The vast majority of Democrats – 87% – held this view, as did 23% of Republicans and 60% of people who don’t identify with either political party.
The poll was conducted during the strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel, and closed before the U.S. military announced the first American casualties in the operation. Three U.S. service members have been killed and five more seriously wounded since the strikes, which plunged the Middle East into a new, unpredictable conflict.
CONCERN ABOUT HARM TO TROOPS
While 55% of Republicans said they approved of the strikes and 13% disapproved, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found 42% in Trump’s party said they would be less likely to support the Iran campaign if it leads to “U.S. troops in the Middle East being killed or injured.”
Trump’s presidential approval rating ticked slightly lower to 39%, one percentage point below a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted February 18-23.
The strikes on Iran began three days before the first primaries of the U.S. midterm elections, which will determine whether Trump’s Republicans maintain their majorities in Congress for the next two years. Reuters/Ipsos polls have consistently shown that voters’ top concern heading into the elections is the economy, far more than foreign affairs.
WORRY OVER FUEL PRICES
Some 45% of poll respondents, including 34% of Republicans and 44% of independents, said they would be less likely to support the campaign against Iran if gas or oil prices increased in the United States.
Prices for Brent crude surged 10% to about $80 a barrel in over-the-counter trade on Sunday, oil traders said. Analysts predicted prices could climb as high as $100 due to the latest conflict.
The most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll gathered responses online from 1,282 U.S. adults nationwide. It had a margin of error of three percentage points.
(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone, Bill Berkrot and Edmund Klamann)
