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strikeJul 27, 2026

Support for Iran war sinks as doubts over Trump grow: Poll

Summary

Only one in three Americans supports the U.S. war against Iran, the lowest level since the conflict began five months ago, while a majority say President Donald Trump has failed to clearly explain the objectives of the campaign, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The poll found that 69% of Americans - including four in 10 Republicans - think Trump has not "clearly explained the goals of U.S. military involvement in Iran." White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Trump will not make decisions based on "fluid opinion polls" and reiterated the president's resolve to prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon. "What matters most to the American people is having a commander in chief who takes bold action to keep them safe," Wales said. Approval of the conflict has been below 40% since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on February 28 - a stark contrast to the opening months of other recent conflicts. While each had different context, the Iraq War from 2003 to 2011 had the support of about 70% of Americans in its early months. During the early days of the Afghanistan War, which lasted from 2001 to 2021, about 90% of the country backed the war, according to polling by Gallup. Public disapproval of the war is weighing on Trump and his Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections when the president's allies will defend slim majorities in the U.S. Congress. "It's not clear why we started a war with them. I have no idea," said Alex Womack, a retired turbine repair specialist from Stockbridge, Georgia, who became a Republican in part because he liked how Republican President George H.W. Bush handled the Gulf War in 1991. Womack, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during that conflict, said his support for Trump has ebbed because of the war. "I don’t think he’s doing very well, personally," he said. To date, 18 American soldiers have died in the conflict while thousands have died in Iran and in Lebanon, where Iran-allied fighters have battled Israeli forces. The war has pushed gasoline prices sharply higher, a blow to the finances of many Americans. Gasoline prices are averaging just over $4 a gallon nationwide, up from about $3 a gallon just before the war started on Feb. 28. "This puts pressure on the party in a myriad of ways, all of them bad," said Alex Conant, a Republican political strategist and a White House spokesman during the presidency of George W. Bush. "The White House officials have been saying since January that they need to win economic arguments. It’s hard to win the economic arguments when you’re clearly focused on foreign policy.” Independent registered voters in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll said they were favoring the Democratic congressional candidate over the Republican by 36% to 20%. Independent voters also favored Democrats over Republicans on economic policy, the poll found. In campaigning for the 2024 presidential election, Trump said he would keep the U.S. out of enduring conflicts. He initially estimated the Iran war would last four to five weeks. He has bristled over comparisons to other wars, including the Vietnam War, which lasted two decades and claimed the lives of more than 58,000 U.S. soldiers. Rhyan Anderson, an independent from Fairburn, Georgia, who voted for Trump in 2024, said he thinks Trump should focus on domestic problems rather than on helping Israel or other allies. "My biggest thing is just focus on the people who are actually in the country," said Anderson, who works two jobs in security and data collection and said he voted for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. "I know we have allies and things like that, but there’s a lot of people here that really need help." Since mid-March, the Reuters/Ipsos survey has asked respondents whether they support or oppose military strikes on Iran. At that time, 37% said they supported the war. That compared to 27% approval on the day the war began, when the Reuters/Ipsos survey also gave respondents the option to choose unsure, which 29% did. The latest Reuters/Ipsos survey, which was conducted online and nationwide, gathered responses from 1,246 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.

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    Only one in three Americans supports the U.S. war against Iran, the lowest level since the conflict began five months ago, while a majority say President Donald Trump has failed to clearly explain the objectives of the campaign, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The poll fou

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U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, are visiting Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend in an effort to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. "We have an idea for peace," Trump told reporters on Friday.

"I sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job, and we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it," he said. Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy confirmed the news in a post on X.

"Today, it has been clearly established that U.S. envoys will be in Ukraine and Russia in the coming days. We have the details from the U.S. President’s team. We discussed today that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow and then Kyiv on Sunday.

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Photos showed Kushner and Witkoff greeted by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev shortly after landing in Moscow. Kushner and Witkoff are expected to later travel to Kyiv on Sunday, Zelenskyy confirmed. Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine will work to keep Russian airspace safe during the Americans’ visit.

CIA DIRECTOR JOHN RATCLIFFE MET WITH RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS IN VISIT TO MOSCOW, KREMLIN SAYS "Just as we did during previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely.

We are looking out for them, not for Russia. There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no air strikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit," he wrote on X.

ZELENSKYY CONGRATULATES TRUMP ON TURNING 80 IN BIRTHDAY CALL, VOWS MORE UKRAINE PEACE TALKS AT G7 ON TUESDAY "Our goal is to make the visit and the talks with the U.S. side as constructive and substantive as possible. We need to look for real options for how to move this war toward an end.

We will see what proposals Steve and Jared bring and what they are told in Moscow in response," the Ukrainian president concluded. Zelenskyy, in a subsequent Saturday morning post on X, said he had already communicated with Witkoff and Kushner ahead of their planned Sunday meeting.

"I have just spoken with the U.S. President’s envoys. They have already begun working with the Russian side today. From the moment of this conversation, we are ready to observe a ceasefire in airstrikes against the cities involved in the negotiation process.

From now through the end of Saturday, as well as on Sunday and Monday, Ukraine is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow, and we expect the Russians to do the same regarding Kyiv," he wrote. "Today, I also received reports from Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi on the situation at the front, the dynamics of threats in Ukraine’s airspace, our steps, and active defensive operations.

I am grateful to every one of our warriors for effectively defending Ukraine’s positions," Zelenskyy's post continued. "On the diplomatic track, our actions must be, and will be, just as strong and effective – one hundred percent. The plan for tomorrow’s diplomatic engagements in Kyiv, involving the U.

S. team, has been approved. We are waiting for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and are ready for a substantive conversation. Thank you to everyone who stands with Ukraine!" Zelenskyy concluded. Zelenskyy’s Friday message came the same day that a Russian drone strike targeted the Security Service of Ukraine’s headquarters in Ukraine, Zelenskyy wrote in a public message on the app Telegram.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK ON KYIV HOURS AFTER ZELENSKYY WARNS OF MAJOR STRIKE Zelenskyy alleged the strike directly targeted the head of the Security Service's office. He also wrote that he was directing the head, Oleksandr Poklad, to prepare a retaliatory strike.

"I gave Poklad the task of adequately, noticeably and, if possible, mirroring the Russians' response to this attack, when everything is prepared. Our military will support this response. Glory to Ukraine!" he wrote. PUTIN UNLEASHES NEW FURY ON UKRAINE AS REPORT EXPOSES FEAR HANGING OVER WAR’S END At least nine people were injured in the explosion, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko also wrote on Telegram.

The visit also comes just one day after German officials formally accused Russia of attempting an explosive drone attack on a major airport in Germany. RUSSIA’S STRIKES NEAR MOLDOVA RAISE ALARM OVER PUTIN’S PLANS FOR EUROPE’S EASTERN FLANK "The attack on the aircraft in Leipzig was concrete; it could have triggered a catastrophe had it succeeded.

The attacker was, at most, covert, but even here there is now certainty: The German government has named Russia as the mastermind. Patterns of attack, police investigations, and intelligence findings prove Russian responsibility for the drone attack," Stefan Kornelius, a spokesperson for the German federal government, wrote Friday.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital contacted the White House and the foreign ministries for Russia, Ukraine and Germany for further comment.

strikeUnverifiedUSIsraelIranUN
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US, allies push IAEA board to report Iran to UN Security Council The United States, Britain, France and Germany are seeking a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog's board next week reporting Iran to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years, according to diplomats and the proposed text seen by Reuters.

If passed, the resolution would follow up on one adopted on June 12 of last year declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for not fully cooperating with an investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites. Israel started bombing Iran's nuclear facilities the next day, soon joined by the US Iran's uranium-enrichment plants were destroyed or badly damaged.

Iran has not let International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors return to the bombed sites since then or verify what remains of its stocks of enriched uranium, some of which was enriched to up to 60 percent purity, a short step from weapons grade.

strikeUnverifiedUSIsraelIran
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‘Small potatoes’: US President Trump downplays war on Iran The president’s remarks could signal a new strategy towards the conflict, focused on minimising its impact. As the United States and Israel’s war on Iran enters its seventh month with no clear end in sight, President Donald Trump has become the latest US official to downplay the conflict.

On Friday, Trump said the conflict, which has resulted in the deaths of 18 US service members and a spike in global energy prices, is “small potatoes”. Recommended Storieslist of 3 items - list 1 of 3How much oil is going through Hormuz? Why data doesn’t match US claims - list 2 of 3Iran war: Why US midterms could be a pivotal moment - list 3 of 3‘Things happen’: How Vance’s comment on Iran wedding strike fits US pattern “It’s not a big thing,” Trump said, comparing strikes on Iran with other US military campaigns, including the January 3 operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“We did Venezuela, and we did this. In Venezuela, we lost nobody. In this, we lost 18 people.” His remarks came at an Oval Office signing event, where reporters asked him to weigh in on remarks from Vice President JD Vance. A day earlier, at a White House news briefing, Vance appeared to suggest the conflict had cooled, despite a recent exchange of intense fire between US and Iranian forces.

“I wouldn’t call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting,” Vance said, arguing that major combat operations only lasted six weeks. He then added, “I recognise there have been places where this has flared up.” Trump on Friday told reporters there was “a lot of truth” to what Vance said.

He opted to brand the fighting as a “military conflict”. “We do intermittent strikes,” Trump said, adding: “We’re not fighting right now. There’s no fighting. We’re taking out a lot of oil. We control the Hormuz Strait. We control it very strongly.” Since the war began on February 28, Trump has used various phrases to avoid calling the conflict a war.

In the past, he has called the fighting with Iran a “little skirmish”, a “little detour” and a “little excursion, a couple of weeks, few weeks of excursion”. “It’s an excursion that will keep us out of a war,” Trump said in March. Experts say such terminology is likely strategic.

The Trump administration has faced pushback for not seeking congressional approval before launching its strikes on Iran. The US Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power to declare war, though successive presidencies have taken unilateral military actions without the legislature’s approval.

Legal scholars have repeatedly questioned the legality of those manoeuvres. In June, both chambers of Congress passed a war powers resolution, calling on Trump to either stop his military campaign against Iran or seek congressional authorisation for it.

The resolution was largely symbolic, though it did signal growing bipartisan opposition to Trump’s war on Iran. As the conflict enters its seventh month, it remains widely unpopular in the US. A poll released on Monday by the Reuters news agency and the research firm Ipsos found that nearly six in 10 US adults disapproved of the military strikes on Iran.

As the midterm elections approach in November, and peace talks remain deadlocked, the president’s remarks appear designed to minimise the conflict’s impact across the world. The war has led to attacks across the Middle East, and fuel prices remain high.

In the US, the American Automobile Association (AAA) says the average fuel price is $4.15 per gallon (3.8 litres), up nearly a dollar from last year. The Trump administration, however, has long argued the war and its effects would be short-term. It has also signalled that it intends to double down on its economic pressure campaign against Iran, which has long faced US sanctions.

In August, Trump pledged on Truth Social to pursue the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY”. This week, his administration announced new sanctions aimed at cutting off the country’s access to the international financial system.

On Friday, Trump also did not rule out further attacks, suggesting the US may “very soon” strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, a military site near the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Natanz was bombed in June 2025 and again during the current war. A recent exchange of strikes this month resulted in Iran firing on US military bases across the Middle East.

The US, meanwhile, was accused by the Iranian government of bombing a wedding celebration in the coastal city of Sirik, killing at least four people. While the future of the conflict is uncertain, Trump said he was pleased with its progress. “I don’t think it matters what you call it,” Trump said.

“What matters is you’ve had tremendous success.

strikeUnverifiedUSIran
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Trump backs Vance’s Iran stance, calls months-long fighting a ‘military conflict’ WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Friday, September 4, backed Vice President JD Vance’s decision not to describe the months-long US conflict with Iran as a 'war,' instead calling it a 'military conflict.

' Trump said the fighting had become intermittent and described the conflict as 'small potatoes' for the United States. The president also defended the length of US military deployments, saying the operation had prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Trump backs Vance on Iran war label When asked about Vance’s comments a day earlier, Trump said he understood the vice president's position and argued that the level of fighting did not warrant calling the conflict a war. “I can understand what he’s saying,” Trump said.

“I call it a military conflict because it’s small potatoes for us. It's not a big thing.” Trump said the US strikes against Iran had become intermittent and noted that there had been periods without active fighting. He compared the 18 US service members killed in the conflict with American casualties in previous wars, including Vietnam and Afghanistan.

JUST IN: President Trump agrees with VP JD Vance in refusing to call the months-long U.S. military action in Iran a war, instead calling it a "military conflict" and describing the whole thing as "small potatoes" to the United States.— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 4, 2026 "Well, I'll tell you what.

A lot of people… pic.twitter.com/sV1O7GjLC7 However, when a reporter challenged Trump over describing the fighting as 'small potatoes' despite the deaths and 'record-long' deployments, the president defended the military's continued presence. Trump replied seemingly furious, “Why is it record-long?

So, how long were we in Vietnam? We were in five months there (Iran), and you know what we did in five months? They're not going to have a nuclear weapon. That's what we did, because if they did you probably wouldn’t be standing here.” .@POTUS schools a very rude Fake News hack on Iran: "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon — because if they did, you probably wouldn't be standing here very long.

" pic.twitter.com/TtvVkwRm8C— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 4, 2026 Trump also defended the length of the deployments by comparing them with the duration and casualties of earlier US conflicts. The president said that the military had repeatedly targeted Iranian radar and other capabilities and maintained that US forces had significantly weakened Iran's ability to threaten the region.

Trump also pointed to operations involving the Strait of Hormuz, saying US forces had removed mines from the waterway and were helping ships move through the strategic route. JD Vance rejects war label as Iran fighting continues Vance had previously rejected the description of the conflict as a 'war' during a White House briefing on Thursday, September 3, when he was asked whether the fighting could be over before the November midterm elections.

“I wouldn’t call it a war,” Vance said. “Right now, there is no active shooting.” COLLINS: Will this war be over by the midterm elections?— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 3, 2026 JD VANCE: I wouldn't call it a war pic.twitter.com/CH2wot7pW1 Vance acknowledged that fighting had recently “flared up” but said major combat operations were not currently underway.

He also declined to predict when the conflict would end, saying the administration could not set an artificial deadline while Iran continued attacking commercial shipping. “You’re asking me a question like when will the Iranians stop shooting at ships?

” Vance said. “I think the reality is I don’t know the answer to that question. You would have to ask the Iranians.” Vice President JD Vance on Iran:— Tabz (@TabzLIVE) September 3, 2026 When you ask, "When will this war end?" you're asking me a question like, "When will the Iranians stop shooting at ships?

" I don’t know the answer to that question. You would have to ask the Iranians. pic.twitter.com/qHtsyn3BdT The comments came after a renewed round of fighting this week. On Tuesday, September 1, the US military carried out roughly 100 strikes against Iranian targets, which the administration said were in response to threats against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has continued retaliatory attacks in the region, including an attack on US Gulf ally Kuwait.