Over 80 percent of Americans believe that Iran is a threat to the United States, including 49 percent who indicated that Iran is a “very serious threat,” a CNN poll revealed last week. The number who believe Iran is a “very serious threat” is up ten percent since April.
60 percent of respondents think Iran is very or extremely likely to violate the deal, and 64 percent of those surveyed—including a majority of Democrats—supported military action against Iran if it cheats.
Most Americans think Iran will ultimately violate the terms of the agreement, with 37% calling that extremely likely and 23% saying very likely. Just 10% think it’s not at all likely that Iran would break the agreement. Republicans (83% likely) and independents (58% likely) are more apt to believe Iran would violate the agreement than are Democrats (44% likely).
If Iran did violate the deal, 64% of all adults say the United States should respond with military action, including majorities across party lines (57% of Democrats, 64% of independents and 72% of Republicans). About a third, 34%, say the United States should not take military action if the deal is broken. …
Nearly half (49%) now say they consider Iran a “very serious” threat to the United States, up 10 points since April. That shift came across party lines with double-digit increases in the percentage viewing Iran as a very serious threat among both Democrats (up 14 points to 43%) and Republicans (up 15 points to 68%). Fewer see North Korea (37%) or Russia (30%) as a very serious threat, but both those figures have increased 5 points since April.
The complete results of the poll are available here (.pdf).
Although the results showed an increase in support of the deal to 47 percent, the percentage of Americans opposing President Barack Obama’s handling of the nation’s relationship with Iran stayed close to the 60 percent recorded in a CNN poll last month.
A Quinnipiac poll last month showed that the nuclear deal with Iran was opposed by a two to one margin. A Monmouth University poll last month showed that Americans believed by a three to one margin that Iran got the better end of the deal.