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Poll: U.S. split over actions against Iran

Los Angeles Times Apr. 13, 2006 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON - Americans are divided over the prospect of U.S. military action against Iran if the government in Tehran continues to pursue nuclear technology, and a majority do not trust President Bush to make the "right decision" on that issue, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

Asked whether they would support military action if Iran continued to produce material that could be used to develop nuclear weapons, 48 percent of the poll's respondents said yes; 40 percent said no.

If Bush were to order military action, most respondents said they would support airstrikes against Iranian targets, but only about one in four said they would support the use of U.S. ground troops in Iran.

The findings of the poll, conducted largely before Iran announced Monday that it had enriched uranium for civilian energy generation, reflected public concern about Iran's acquisition of nuclear technology, as well as public division over the best U.S. response.

A solid majority of respondents, 61 percent, said they believed Iran eventually would get nuclear weapons.

In a telling reflection of the erosion in public support for Bush, 54 percent of respondents said they did not trust him to "make the right decision about whether we should go to war with Iran," while 42 percent said they did trust him to do so.

The poll contacted 1,357 adults nationwide by telephone from April 8-11. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.