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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
American Majority Predicts War with Iran
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe their country will enter a conflict against Iran, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 57 per cent of respondents think it is very or somewhat likely that the U.S. will be at war with Iran within the next year.
After being branded as part of an "axis of evil" by United States 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, the United Nations (UN) Security Council unanimously voted to impose sanctions against Iran after it failed to stop uranium enrichment. On Jan. 2, Ahmadinejad declared, "Let the world know that from the Iranian nation's point of view, this resolution has no validity. I want (the United States) to know that the Iranian nation has humiliated you many times, and it will humiliate you in future." 75 per cent of respondents think Iran will soon develop nuclear weapons.
In a Jan. 28 interview with Newsweek, U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney discussed the situation in Iran, saying, "I think there's widespread concern throughout the region about Iran, and in particular, Iran under Ahmadinejad. (...) The fact is we are doing what we can to try to resolve issues such as the nuclear question diplomatically through the United Nations, but we've also made it clear that we haven't taken any options off the table."
Polling Data
How likely is it that the United States will be at war with Iran within the next year?
Very likely | 23% |
Somewhat likely | 34% |
Not very likely | 26% |
Not at all likely | 6% |
How likely is it that Iran will soon develop nuclear weapons?
Very likely | 42% |
Somewhat likely | 33% |
Not very likely | 11% |
Not at all likely | 2% |
Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted on Feb. 2 and Feb. 3, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.