American Public Supports Diplomatic Track on Iran

On Monday, the implementation of the initial agreement reached in Geneva between Iran and the P5+1 went into effect. Also out this week is a new poll finding that Americans support the diplomatic track by a margin greater than two-to-one. This is the most recent in a series of polls consistently finding overwhelming support for the diplomatic deal.  In the Senate, there has been increasing support for the deal and opposition to the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act [S.1881], which experts and the U.S. intelligence community say will derail negotiations. There is widespread opposition to the bill from foreign policy experts and Iran analysts, and support from key senators continues to grow.

New Economist/YouGov poll: Public supports interim deal more than two-to-one.  A poll released this week found that the American public is strongly supportive of the deal reached in Geneva. Think Progress reports, “A new poll released on Wednesday found that a solid majority of Americans — by greater than a 2 to 1 margin — support the first step nuclear deal with Iran, a finding that lines up with most recent surveys taken on the issue… According to the new poll, conducted by YouGov and the Economist, 58 percent of Americans said they support the deal and just 25 percent opposed.” This result is consistent with past polls demonstrating public support both for a diplomatic solution generally as well as the specific deal reached in Geneva:

Reuters/Ipsos: “Americans back a newly brokered nuclear deal with Iran by a 2-to-1 margin and are very wary of the United States resorting to military action against Tehran even if the historic diplomatic effort falls through, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.” [Reuters,  11/24/13]

AP-GfK Poll: “Six in 10 Americans approve of the preliminary deal between Iran and six global powers to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.” [AP, 12/18/13]

CNN/ORC International: “A majority of Americans support an interim deal with Iran that would ease some economic sanctions on that country in exchange for concessions on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a new national poll. A CNN/ORC International survey released Thursday indicates that 56% of the public would favor an international agreement that would impose major restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program but not end it completely, with 39% opposed to such an agreement.” [CNN, 11/21/13]

Hart Research: Politico reports, “After hearing a clinically worded description of the deal — stating that it requires Iran to ‘freeze its nuclear development program’ and admit international inspectors, while reducing some U.S. economic sanctions and continuing negotiations for a six-month period – a full 63 percent of respondents favored the deal.” [Politico, 12/2/13]

Washington Post/ABC: “Poll finds that 64 percent of Americans support a nuclear deal with Iran, while 30 percent disapprove of one.” [Washington Post, 11/20/13]

CNN/ORC International: “Three-quarters of Americans say they favor direct diplomatic negotiations with Iran in an attempt to prevent that country from developing nuclear weapons, according to a new national poll. Just one in five questioned in a CNN/ORC International survey released Monday morning say they opposed negotiations with Tehran.” [CNN, 9/30/13]

[Think Progress, 1/23/13]

Key Senators join their colleagues in supporting diplomacy:

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a member of the Democratic leadership writes in a constituent letter obtained by the Washington Post’s Greg Sergeant, “I believe the Administration should be given time to negotiate a strong verifiable comprehensive agreement.” [Washington Post, 1/22/14]

Senator Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) spokesperson told Sergeant, “Senator Warren believes we must exhaust every effort to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomacy, and she does not support imposing additional sanctions through new legislation while diplomatic efforts to achieve a long-term agreement are ongoing.” [Washington Post, 1/22/14]

Senators Murray and Warren are joining a list of Senate leaders who see diplomacy as the best way to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, including:   Chairmen of 10 Senate Committees;  Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a co-sponsor of the bill who said “there may not need to be a vote”; Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR): Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), chairman of the Armed Services Committee: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees; Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), member of the Foreign Relations Committee; Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), member of the Armed Services Committee; Sen. Barbara Milulski (D-MD), Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), chairman of the Banking Committee; Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) chairman of the Judiciary Committee; Sen. John Rockefeller (D-WV); Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR); Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA); Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA); and Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE).