One In Three Americans Back War With Iran; 69% Say Trump Hasn't Clearly Explained Objectives — Reuters/Ipsos Poll

WASHINGTON — A Reuters/Ipsos online poll conducted Friday through Sunday finds that only about one in three Americans now support the U.S. war in Iran, the weakest level of backing since the conflict began roughly five months ago. The survey also shows a large majority of respondents believe President Donald Trump has not clearly explained U.S. objectives.

The poll of 1,246 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of ±3 percentage points, put Mr. Trump's overall approval rating at 37% — up three points from last month when it tied the lowest of his presidency.

Confusion Over Goals: Respondents pointed to shifting explanations from the president about the purpose of the military action. Trump has variously described the aims as helping Iranians topple their leaders, degrading Iran's ballistic-missile capabilities, and preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Overall, 69% of Americans — including roughly four in 10 Republicans — said Trump had not "clearly explained the goals of U.S. military involvement in Iran."

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales rejected the idea that policy should be driven by polls, saying Trump will not make decisions based on "fluid opinion polls" and reiterating his determination to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. "What matters most to the American people is having a commander in chief who takes bold action to keep them safe," she said.

Public Support Compared With Prior Wars: Public approval for the conflict has been below 40% since U.S. and Israeli strikes began on Feb. 28. That contrasts sharply with the opening months of other recent U.S. conflicts: early support for the 2003 Iraq War was about 70%, and backing for the Afghanistan campaign in its initial days reached roughly 90%, according to Gallup polling.

Human and Economic Costs: To date, 18 American service members have been killed, while thousands have died in Iran and in Lebanon amid fighting involving Iran-aligned forces and Israeli troops. The conflict has also coincided with higher gasoline prices: national averages are just over $4 per gallon, up from roughly $3 before the strikes on Feb. 28 — a burden felt by many households.

Political Fallout: Public discontent over the war is weighing on President Trump and Republicans ahead of the November midterms. Independent registered voters in the Reuters/Ipsos poll said they favored the Democratic congressional candidate over the Republican by 36% to 20% and also preferred Democrats on economic policy.

Voters quoted in the poll expressed confusion and frustration. "It's not clear why we started a war with them. I have no idea," said Alex Womack, a retired turbine specialist and Marine Corps veteran from Stockbridge, Georgia, who said his support for Trump has waned because of the conflict. Rhyan Anderson, an independent from Fairburn, Georgia, said he wants the president to focus on domestic problems rather than extended foreign engagements.

Methodology: The Reuters/Ipsos survey was conducted online, sampled 1,246 adults across the United States, and carries a margin of error of ±3 percentage points.

(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington; editing by Scott Malone)