Poll: Majority of Americans Want Immediate End to War on Iran, Prefer Diplomacy Over Force

Washington Message Washington – Said Arikat - 23/7/2026 A new poll conducted by the "Center for Critical Issues" at the University of Maryland, in cooperation with the "Ipsos" institution, under the supervision of Professor Shibley Telhami, showed that the majority of Americans support an immediate end to the war on Iran, even if all the goals announced by the administration of President Donald Trump are not achieved, with a clear preference for diplomatic means over military options in dealing with the Iranian nuclear file. The poll, conducted between July 17 and 20, 2026, on a sample of 1019 adults in the United States, with a margin of error of ±3.4 percentage points, included a wide range of questions related to the war, its legitimacy, its repercussions, and the future of American policy towards Iran. The results of the poll coincided with reports published by American media outlets known for their proximity to Israeli circles, stating that President Donald Trump informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States is preparing to intensify its strikes against Iran, with an expanded use of heavy bunker-buster bombs, foremost among them the "Daisy Cutter" bomb (BLU-82), which weighs about 15,000 pounds and is known for its great destructive power against tunnels and deep fortifications. This coincidence highlights a striking paradox, as it comes at a time when the poll results reveal growing opposition among the American public to the continuation of the war, and the rejection by the majority of Americans of expanding military operations, in favor of ending the conflict and returning to the diplomatic path to address differences with Iran. Majority Supports Ending the War The poll reported that 52% of Americans believe it is necessary to end the war immediately and not conduct any additional military operations against Iran, unless American forces are directly attacked, while seeking to achieve any remaining goals through diplomatic means. The results show a clear partisan division; 76% of Democrats and 65% of Independents supported this position, compared to only 23% of Republicans. In contrast, 24% of participants believed that the United States should continue military operations whenever the administration believes its goals have not yet been achieved, a position supported by 55% of Republicans. The pollsters noted that the question did not specify particular goals for the war, given the changing justifications of the American administration in recent months, but rather spoke generally about "any unachieved goals." Rejection of Force to Prevent Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons Despite continued concern about Iran's nuclear program, the poll showed a decline in support for using military force to achieve this goal. Only 20% of Americans said that the United States should prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons "even if it requires war," while 19% preferred preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons without using military force. At the same time, 22% of respondents called for making the Middle East a nuclear-weapon-free zone, including both Iran and Israel, while 10% believed that mutual deterrence between Iran and Israel might be sufficient to avoid military confrontation. Widespread Skepticism About the Legitimacy of the War The results showed that the American public does not grant the war broad legal cover. Only 25% of participants considered the war legal under American law, compared to 40% who said it was illegal, while about a third of participants expressed having no specific opinion. As for international law, the percentage of those who considered the war legal dropped to only 19%, compared to 39% who believed it violated international law, while 40% said they did not know. Partisan divisions are clearly evident in this issue, with Republicans tending to consider the war legal, while most Democrats and Independents opposed it. Support for Reparations to Iran The poll revealed that 29% of Americans believe that the United States should take responsibility for providing some form of compensation to Iran for the damages it suffered as a result of the war, compared to 43% who rejected this, while more than a quarter of participants did not decide their position. Support for reparations rises to more than half among those who believe the war is illegal under American or international law, and is also supported by nearly half of Democrats, compared to limited support among Republicans. War Harmed American Interests Most participants agreed that the war had negative effects on the United States. 58% said that the war's impact on American interests was more negative than positive, compared to only 12% who believed it served American interests. This negative view included the majority of Democrats and Independents, and even a third of Republicans, reflecting a decline in confidence in the usefulness of the war across different political orientations. No Victor in the War In their assessment of the war's trajectory, only 15% said that the United States had won or was making progress towards victory, while 13% considered Iran to be the party gaining ground. The largest percentage, 40%, believed that neither party could be considered victorious so far, while a fifth of participants said they did not know. The pollsters believe that these results reflect a general sense of frustration with the war's outcomes, and a lack of public conviction that military operations have achieved clear strategic gains. The poll results reveal a significant shift in the American public mood, as the discussion is no longer about how to achieve war goals, but rather about the necessity of ending it in the first place. The public, according to the results, no longer links the continuation of military operations to achieving the Trump administration's goals, but rather prefers to move to the diplomatic path even if some goals remain unachieved. This shift reflects growing fatigue from foreign wars, and a decline in the American voter's willingness to grant successive administrations an open mandate to use military force. A striking political paradox emerges in the poll results; while many Americans do not oppose the principle of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, the majority rejects resorting to war to achieve this goal. This indicates a widening gap between official rhetoric that links regional security to military solutions, and public opinion that now prefers deterrence, diplomacy, and international agreements. Furthermore, the support of a significant segment for the idea of a nuclear-weapon-free Middle East, including both Israel and Iran, reflects a change in the way the region's security is viewed. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the poll results is the willingness of a significant percentage of Americans to discuss the United States' responsibility to compensate Iran for war damages, an issue that rarely receives widespread support in American public opinion polls. This position does not merely reflect a negative assessment of the war's outcomes, but rather indicates the emergence of ethical and legal considerations among segments of public opinion, especially among Democrats and Independents, who believe that the legitimacy of using force must also be linked to bearing its political and humanitarian consequences.