Americans skeptical Iran will abide by nuke deal — poll
Huge majority doesn’t trust Tehran to stick to agreement, but only one-third want Congress to sink the accord
A majority of Americans don’t count on Iran to uphold its end of the nuclear deal but remain split over whether Congress should approve the agreement, according to a Monday poll released by Monmouth University.
The survey found that most Americans feel Iran got the better end of the bargain, with self-identified Democrats more likely than Republicans to approve of the agreement.
The findings come amid a heated debate on Capitol Hill as opponents of the deal try to muster a veto-busting two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress to counter President Barack Obama’s support for the accord.
According to the poll, 61 percent of respondents don’t trust Tehran “at all” to abide by the terms of the agreement, as opposed to just 6% who said they have faith in Iran’s intentions.
The survey also showed that the level of mistrust vis-a-vis Iran has grown, from 59% in January 2015 to 61% in August. Meanwhile, confidence in Iran’s commitment to abide by the deal has also inched slightly higher, up from 4% in January.
A plurality, 41%, say Iran got more of its demands than the US, while only 14% say the US benefited more.
The overwhelming distrust of Tehran’s intentions does not necessarily mean Americans oppose the deal. One-third, 32%, say Congress should sink the deal, while 27% say it should vote to approve it. A plurality of 41% remain undecided.
The results show a clear divide along party lines. Far more Democrats (41%) than Republicans (13%) believe Congress should green-light the pact, while far more Republicans (55%) than Democrats (14%) are against the deal.
1,203 adults in the United States were canvassed by telephone for the poll from July 30 to August 2, with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points.
