October 02, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe their current head of state should avoid taking military action against Iran in the event the country fails to end its nuclear program, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 54 per cent of respondents think George W. Bush should let the next president, whoever that may be, deal with Iran.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe their current head of state should avoid taking military action against Iran in the event the country fails to end its nuclear program, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 54 per cent of respondents think George W. Bush should let the next president, whoever that may be, deal with Iran.

After being branded as part of an "axis of evil" by 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.

On Sept. 25, Bush mentioned Iran only once during his speech at the UN General Assembly. The U.S. president declared: "Every civilized nation also has a responsibility to stand up for the people suffering under dictatorship. In Belarus, North Korea, Syria, and Iran, brutal regimes deny their people the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration."

In his 2006 UN General Assembly address, Bush actually delivered a message "to the people or Iran" and stated: "Your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation’s resources to fund terrorism, and fuel extremism, and pursue nuclear weapons."

Polling Data

If diplomacy fails to convince Iran to end its nuclear program before U.S. president George W. Bush leaves office, which of the following actions would you prefer? Do you think Bush should...

Take military action to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities before his term ends	29%
Let the next president, whoever that may be, deal with Iran	54%
Don’t know	16%

Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.