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REPORT: Polls Show Americans Support Diplomacy With Iran

E.U. Foreign Policy chief Catherine Aston speaks alongside the Foreign Ministers of Iran and the P5+1 countries CREDIT: AP
E.U. Foreign Policy chief Catherine Aston speaks alongside the Foreign Ministers of Iran and the P5+1 countries CREDIT: AP

An new expert polling analysis has found that most recent surveys asking respondents about Iran’s nuclear program found a plurality or majority support for the Interim deal reached in Geneva last November and that respondents from both parties favor a diplomatic approach to the issue.

“Partisan differences on Iran are most prominent with respect to perceptions of the threat and the ‘best’ approach, and less prominent when it comes to support for diplomacy,” said the report released this week from ReThink Media. “Most polls show that a majority or plurality of Americans approve of the interim agreement between Iran and the P5+1. The multilateral nature of the deal is crucial for public support.”

Indeed, ThinkProgress has previously reported that polling shows widespread support among Americans for the Geneva nuclear agreement with Iran.

ReThink analyzed 13 publicly available polls from 10 different polling firms, including CNN, AP/GfK, Reuters, Pew, Fox News, ABC/Washington Post and Economist/YouGov. Collectively, the polls found that most Americans aren’t paying that much attention to the Iranian nuclear issue or the details of the Geneva deal.

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The polls also show that Americans distrust the Iranians and are skeptical that the diplomatic efforts can succeed. “Pollsters do not emphasize the verification processes built in to the agreement, and often try to force opinions from an uninformed public — all contributing to a strong partisan effect,” the report says. Most of the polls, according to ReThink, ignore “one of the most important aspects of the agreement: international inspections. Arguably one of the security measures most likely to reassure distrustful citizens, the inspections of nuclear sites are designed to verify Iran’s adherence to the terms of the interim deal.”

The U.S. and its P5+1 international partners (the U.K., France, China, Russia and Germany) are set to meet against with Iran next week in Vienna, Austria to begin talks aimed at reaching a final nuclear deal.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress is still battling it out over the issue. The White House, some powerful Democrats and activists rebuffed a Senate push to slap more sanctions on Iran. And House leaders are reportedly considering a measure that seeks to address Iran’s nuclear program but a recent letter signed by 104 House members supporting diplomacy and urging against any “bills or resolutions” on Iran while talks are ongoing will most likely make that effort more difficult.