One-third of US Republicans back nuclear deal, poll finds

Roughly one-third of Republican voters favor the framework nuclear deal reached between Iran and the six world powers, a Reuters poll published Wednesday found. This figure contrasts with GOP lawmakers’ staunch opposition to the agreement.

Thirty-one percent of Republican respondents approved of the agreement, while 30% said they opposed it, the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed. The remaining 39% said they weren’t certain.

Republican lawmakers in recent weeks have intensified their vocal opposition to the deal, which is being pushed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

While the Obama administration has invested considerable efforts in trying to convince those Republican lawmakers who are skeptical of a framework agreement with Iran — stating that a detente between the two countries is essential — many within the party’s leadership see the deal as a capitulation to an enemy state, and have threatened to unilaterally change the terms of the agreement after Obama leaves office in 2017.

So far, Obama has resisted calls from Republican lawmakers, as well as some Democratic legislators, who are demanding congressional oversight over the terms of a final deal with Tehran.

The poll results also indicated a similar disparity within Democratic voters over the US-led diplomatic initiative — 50% said they supported it, 10% answered they were opposed to the deal, and 39% responded that they weren’t sure.

If Iran complies with the terms of Obama’s proposed deal, both American and international economic sanctions, which have crippled the Iranian economy for over 20 years, would be gradually lifted.

The poll found that the majority of Americans — Democrats and Republicans alike — did not support military intervention alone as a measure for preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, with only 5% of Democrats, 11% of Republicans and 6% of Independents supporting that option.

When asked if the US should maintain or expand sanctions against Iran, 60% of Republicans said yes, compared to only 23% of Democrats.

Across the political spectrum, however, support for the combined use of military force and diplomatic channels in Washington’s efforts to curtail Tehran’s nuclear ambitions was higher — 50% of Republicans supported the combined approach, as did 35% of Democrats and 42% of independent voters.

After reaching a framework deal last week, negotiators face a June 30 deadline to reach a final agreement to curtail Iran’s nuclear program.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 2,291 adults and was carried out April 3-7, after the framework deal was announced.