October 24, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A majority of adults in the United States think the Iranian government is attempting to develop nuclear weapons and is responsible for arming militias that kill American soldiers in Iraq, but they reject taking military action against Iran, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 68 per cent of respondents would oppose a decision by the U.S. government to attack Iran, up five points since May.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A majority of adults in the United States think the Iranian government is attempting to develop nuclear weapons and is responsible for arming militias that kill American soldiers in Iraq, but they reject taking military action against Iran, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 68 per cent of respondents would oppose a decision by the U.S. government to attack Iran, up five points since May.

In the survey, 77 per cent of American respondents think the Iranian government is trying to develop nuclear arms, and 82 per cent believe it is providing weapons and other support to Iraqi insurgents.

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.

The Bush administration has repeatedly accused Iran—a predominantly Shiite nation—of helping Shiite militias in Iraq and fuelling attacks against American troops serving in that country. In February, U.S. Army officers displayed C-4 plastic explosives—recovered during a raid in Iraq’s Diyala province—and claimed they were manufactured in Iran.

On Oct. 21, U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney warned Iran against continuing with its nuclear aspirations, saying, "The Iranian regime needs to know that if it stays on its present course, the international community is prepared to impose serious consequences. (...) The United States joins other nations in sending a clear message: We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

Polling Data

If the U.S. government decides to take military action in Iran, would you favour or oppose it?

 

	Oct. 2007	May 2007	Jan. 2007
Favour	29%	33%	26%
Oppose	68%	63%	68%
Unsure	4%	4%	6%

Based on what you have heard or read, do you think that the government of Iran is or is not attempting to develop its own nuclear weapons?

Is	77%
Is not	18%
Unsure	5%

Based on what you have heard or read, do you think that the government of Iran is or is not providing weapons and other support to the insurgents who are fighting the U.S. troops in Iraq?

Is	82%
Is not	13%
Unsure	4%

Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,212 American adults, conducted from Oct. 12 to Oct. 14, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.