Nearly Half of Americans Approve of Trump's Order of Airstrike That Killed Iran's Top General
Nearly half of Americans say they support President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize the strike that killed Iran’s top general Qasem Soleimani, according to a Morning Consult poll.
The survey was released on Wednesday morning but conducted before Iran struck Iraqi military bases in retaliation for the death of Soleimani.
It found that 47% of Americans support the strike while 40% oppose it, and 14% said they did not have an opinion.
Support or opposition to the strike was divided largely based on party identification with 85% of Republicans saying they supported it — 61% of Republicans say they strongly support the strike — and 70% of Democrats saying they opposed it.
While a majority of Americans say they support the strike, 69% say they believe it makes war between the United States and Iran more likely. And 50% say they think it makes the country less safe.
Last Thursday, Trump authorized a drone strike on Soleimani following the death of a U.S. contractor and the storming of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
After the strike on Soleimani, 57% of respondents say they expect more military conflict between the U.S. and Iran, according to a HuffPost poll.
On Tuesday, Iran shot 15 ballistic missiles – from within its territory — at Iraqi military bases where U.S. troops were stationed in response to the death of Soleimani.
Initial reports said that Iran’s retaliatory strike resulted in no U.S. casualties, and Iranian officials said they would not carry any further attacks if the U.S. did not respond.
But after the strike, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei called for the end of a U.S. presence in the Middle East and said that measured military responses by Iran are “not sufficient.”
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