Daily US Times: A nationwide USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll shows more than 2-1 Americans say the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani has made the United States less safe. People have significant concerns about the potential consequences of killing.
52% of those surveyed called Trump’s behavior with Iran “reckless.”
Americans were divided by the idea of killing Soleimani. 42% supported it, 33% opposed it; 25% said they didn’t know what to think. Poll shows Republicans were more supportive than the Democrats.
But maximum people agreed that the attack made it more likely Iran would strike American interests in the Middle East (69%), the United States and Iran would go to war with each other (62%), and there would be terrorist attacks on the American homeland (63%).
In each case, the agreement rate was 6-1.
By 52%-8%, those polled said the killing of Soleimani would likely to push Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
The online survey was participated by 1,005 adults, and it was taken Tuesday and Wednesday. The survey has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
When Iranian missiles hit US bases in Iraq, it was near the end of the time the poll was in the field. The pool ends before President Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday about Iran’s retaliation.
By 47%-39%, those surveyed said Trump’s order of killing Soleimani was politically motivated, and he did that to divert the focus from his impeachment.
Poll shows a double-digit majority, 53%-33%, endorsed congressional action that would limit Trump’s ability to order military strikes or declare war without legislative approval.
Those surveyed overwhelmingly opposed Trump’s idea to attack Iran’s cultural sites. Trump previously threatened Iran that if the country retaliates, The US will target its 52 sites, including cultural ones.
The US says it is ready to sit with Iran without precondition
Americans say Soleimani’s killing made the US less safe. The US says they are ”ready to engage without preconditions in serious negotiations” with Iran in a letter to the UN.
The country sent this letter after both of them exchanged hostilities.
In the letter, the US justified the killing of General Qasem Soleimani as an act of self-defense. Iran retaliated the attack by firing missiles to the airbases where US troops are stationed. Iran also claimed the step as self-defense. Iran’s missiles caused no casualties.
US ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft said in a letter to the UN Security Council that the US was ready to negotiate “with the goal of preventing further endangerment of international peace and security or escalation by the Iranian regime.”
Americans say Soleimani’s killing made the US less safe and the killing of Soleimani was justified under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which requires states to “immediately report” to the Security Council any measures taken in exercising the right of self-defense.
The US would take additional action “as necessary” in the Middle East to protect its personnel and interests, the letter added.
Iran described the US offer to negotiate as ‘unbelievable’ while the US continued to enforce harsh economic sanctions against Iran.
