CNN Poll Shows Clear Majority of Americans Opposed to Nuclear-Armed Iran

Latest Developments

Bipartisan Support: A June 18 poll from CNN revealed that 79 percent of all American adults oppose Iran developing a nuclear weapon. This total includes 83 percent of registered Republicans, 79 percent of independents, and 79 percent of Democrats. A separate Fox poll showed that majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents agree that Iran poses a real national security threat to the United States, up by 12, 17, and four points respectively from 2019 results.
Americans Favor Strikes if Iran Attempts to Build Bomb: When asked if the United States should strike Iran if it was clear that the regime was attempting to build a nuclear weapon, 48 percent of Americans responded in favor, with 47 percent opposed. By contrast, 69 percent of Republicans responded that they favored strikes when asked the same question. Meanwhile, Fox’s poll showed that 78 percent of voters are very or extremely concerned about Iran’s nuclear program, up 12 percent from April and matching results from 2010.
Agreement Preferred to Limit Nuclear Risk: Despite the opposition to an Iranian nuclear weapon, 69 percent of Americans would still prefer that the United States negotiate an agreement with the Islamic Republic rather than take military action. A separate Washington Post poll showed that only seven percent of Americans think Iran is no threat at all, but also that the remaining 93 percent are divided by how serious they believe the threat to be. The poll also showed that 45 percent of Americans oppose strikes against Iran entirely at the present time, with only 25 percent in favor of the strikes and 30 percent undecided.

FDD Expert Response

“Republicans and Democrats agree on hardly anything these days, so it’s encouraging to see that a majority in both parties understand that Iran’s rulers mean what they have been saying for 46 years — “Death to America!” — and should not be permitted to obtain the weapons that would enable them to enact this threat.” — Clifford D. May, Founder and President

“It’s heartening to see Americans across the aisle recognize the dangers the Islamic Republic poses globally. Congress has long understood this. But we should expect that the polls will fluctuate. War is not pretty, even when necessary to protect our national security. Rather than judging polls on any given day, we must ensure that our policymaking reflects the fact that Israel protects American national security interests, while the Islamic Republic’s revolutionary ideology is fundamentally at odds with our interests and our values.” — Toby Dershowitz, Managing Director of FDD Action