American public opinion is turning decisively against the Trump administration's military campaign in Iran, even as the White House vows to escalate operations following the death of U.S. service members in Iranian retaliatory strikes.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Saturday found only 27% of respondents support the attack on Iran, while 43% oppose it and 29% remain uncertain. Fifty-six percent of Americans said President Donald Trump tends to use military force too readily.
The survey was conducted as the administration launched massive airstrikes aimed at regime change in Tehran.
Political backlash has intensified. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN after receiving a briefing from the administration that he had seen "no intelligence suggesting any imminent preemptive attack by Iran against the United States." Warner accused the president of starting "a war of choice."
Trump's approval rating slipped to 39%, down one percentage point from a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted February 18-23.
U.S. Central Command announced on X that three American service members were killed and five seriously wounded in "Operation Magnificent Fury" as of 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time on March 1. This marks the first reported U.S. military deaths in overseas operations since Trump's second term began in January.
The Iran campaign is expected to burden Republicans ahead of November's midterm elections. Analysts are closely watching its impact on the Texas primary scheduled for Monday.
Voters appear more concerned about economic fallout than diplomatic consequences. The poll found 45% of respondents, including 34% of Republicans and 44% of independents, would withdraw support for military operations if gas prices rise.
The survey polled 1,282 American adults online nationwide, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.