Only 24 percent say Iran war was worth the cost: Survey

Less than a quarter of Americans believe President Trump’s war with Iran was worth its costs, according to a new poll by Reuters/Ipsos out Tuesday.

The five-day poll — which closed Monday and included responses from 1,262 U.S. adults nationwide — found that only 24 percent of Americans think the war with Iran was worth the tens of billions of dollars spent, the service members who were killed or injured, the military installations and equipment damaged or destroyed and the energy crisis caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Half of respondents said the conflict was not worth it, the survey showed.

The poll also found that a majority of Americans, about 63 percent, think it is unlikely that the preliminary deal signed last week between the U.S. and Iran will lead to lasting peace between the two countries. Only 18 percent of those polled said the agreement will hold.

In addition, more Americans are likely to say that the U.S. is now in a weaker position with Iran rather than a stronger one compared with before the conflict, 35 percent versus 23 percent.

The poll comes as the Pentagon reportedly has told senators it needs roughly $80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the U.S. war against Iran.

The White House Office of Management and Budget hasn’t yet made a formal request to Congress, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been on Capitol Hill this week to shore up support at a time of high skepticism over Trump’s ability to bring about an end to the war.

In addition, the White House has requested a historic $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon, a heavy lift at a time when many Americans are grappling with inflation and high gas prices.

Arriving in Reading, Pa., on Tuesday ahead of an event to highlight American workers, Trump was asked if he believed Americans support the $80 billion ask at a time when many are struggling to make ends meet.

Trump claimed that not only do Americans support the request, “they demand it because they won’t allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on June 17 signed a memorandum of understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane through which one-fifth of the world’s energy flows in times of peace. In return, Washington eased U.S.-led sanctions on Tehran.

Even still, lawmakers want U.S. troops withdrawn from the conflict right away, with the Senate on Tuesday approving a House-passed resolution directing Trump to do so.

The Senate voted 50 to 48 to approve the resolution, which does not have the force of law, with four GOP lawmakers breaking rank. The resolution passed the House 215-208 earlier this month.