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Americans Back Multilateralism for Iran Crisis
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Adults in the United States are more willing to support military action against Iran if their federal government is able to work with international bodies, according to a poll by Zogby Interactive. More than 60 per cent of respondents would back a joint intervention involving the U.S. and either European countries or the United Nations (UN).
Conversely, only 47 per cent of respondents express support for unilateral military action by the U.S. over Iran's nuclear program.
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 November 2004, the Iranian government announced a voluntary suspension of its uranium enrichment program following international pressure. In August 2005, Iran resumed uranium conversion activities at the Isfahan facility. In January, Iran removed the international seals from the Natanz site. Last week, Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki said any military action against Iran would have "severe consequences."
In his Jan. 31 State of the Union address, Bush said Iran "is defying the world with its nuclear ambitions, and the nations of the world must not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons. America will continue to rally the world to confront these threats."
On Feb. 4, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted 27-3 to report Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear program. Iranian negotiator Javad Vaeedi, said his country would continue with its activities, declaring, "This resolution is politically motivated, since it is not based on any legal or technical grounds."
Polling Data
Level of support for specific military actions aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Joint U.S.-European military intervention | 64% |
Joint military action with the United Nations | 63% |
Unilateral military action by the U.S. against Iran | 47% |
Source: Zogby Interactive
Methodology: Online interviews with 13,456 likely American voters, conducted from Jan. 27 to Jan. 30, 2006. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.