(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in the United States have differing opinions on whether their government should take military action against Iran, according to a poll by Hart/McInturff released by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. 41 per cent of respondents think Washington should destroy Iran’s purported ability to make nuclear weapons, while 46 per cent disagree.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in the United States have differing opinions on whether their government should take military action against Iran, according to a poll by Hart/McInturff released by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. 41 per cent of respondents think Washington should destroy Iran’s purported ability to make nuclear weapons, while 46 per cent disagree.
After being branded as part of an "axis of evil" by U.S. president George W. Bush in January 2002, Iran has contended that its nuclear program aims to produce energy, not weapons. In June 2005, former Tehran mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won Iran’s presidential election in a run-off over Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani with 61.6 per cent of all cast ballots.
In December 2006 and March 2007, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) imposed sanctions against Iran after it failed to stop uranium enrichment—a process needed both to make nuclear weapons and produce electricity.
In October, Bush announced a new set of unilateral sanctions against Iran, which include the designations of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a "proliferator of weapons of mass destruction" and of the elite Quds Force as a "supporter of terrorism." The resolution has significant economic implications for Iran.
On Jul. 25, the U.S. Congress’ House Judiciary Committee held hearings to determine whether Bush could be impeached for allegedly overstepping his constitutional authority and abusing power.
Democratic Georgia congressman Hank Johnson expressed support for the removal of the president, saying, "I fear that in the event that the current administration continues with its secret actions, with motives and purposes that are not known or not revealed, if this administration during the last six months decides to attack the sovereign nation of Iran, then Americans will look back and think and rethink whether or not it would have been worth pursuing impeachment at this time to deter any further misdoing by this administration."
Polling Data
If Iran continues with its nuclear research and is close to developing a nuclear weapon, do you believe that the United States should or should not initiate military action to destroy Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons?
|
Jul. 2008 |
Mar. 2007 |
Jul. 2006 |
|
|
Should |
41% |
43% |
48% |
|
Should Not |
46% |
47% |
40% |
|
Unsure |
13% |
10% |
12% |
Source: Hart/McInturff / The Wall Street Journal / NBC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from Jul. 18 to Jul. 21, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
