A Wednesday, January 14th poll from Quinnipiac University indicates that the vast majority of Americans from both parties oppose military action in Iran. According to the poll, 70% of all Americans (79% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans) are against military action in Iran as a result of evidence that protestors are being killed. Over the past few days, enormous protests have rocked major Iranian cities, and while internet shutdowns have resulted in significant censorship of local sources, reports claim that there is a range of 2,000 (NPR) to 12,000 (Iran International) dissidents feared dead. Despite this apparent humanitarian crisis, American attitudes are probably centered on the country and the Americas after President Donald Trump’s removal of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
On the other hand, the little data we do have from Iranians suggests that they may be more supportive of military action than the invading army’s population. After the conflict in June known to Iranians as the “12 Day War,” Gamaan, a pollster that clandestinely surveys the nation, revealed that 62% of respondents believed that “Trump’s intervention played a key role in ending the 12-Day War and bringing about a ceasefire.” What’s more, 18% of respondents said that the most effective strategy to bring about change in the country would involve foreign pressure and intervention. This was second after civil protests (31%), and it’s worth noting that 30% of respondents either said none of the provided methods would be effective or that they had no opinion. The United States also received a 53% favorability rating among Iranians, the highest ahead of Israel, the EU, China, Russia, and Turkey.