Washington Post: Anti-war sentiment for Iran war reaches Vietnam War levels in just two months
According to a recent poll, anti-war sentiment for President Trump's war against Iran has reached levels comparable to the peak of the Vietnam and Iraq wars, escalating in just two months. This is driven by concerns over increasing economic hardship and the risk of terrorist attacks.
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- 📰 Published: May 2, 2026 at 12:24
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US-Iran War Key News
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Washington, May 1st, comprehensive foreign report) A new poll indicates that the unpopularity of President Trump's war on Iran has reached levels similar to the Vietnam War in the early 1970s and the worst period of the Iraq War in 2006, due to intensifying economic hardship and increased concerns about the risk of terrorist attacks.
The Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos conducted an online survey of 2560 adult Americans nationwide from April 24 to 28. The sample was weighted based on demographics, 2024 turnout/voting choice, and partisan leanings, with a sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
The Washington Post noted that 61% of surveyed Americans believe military action against Iran is a mistake; only 19% believe the military action in Iran has been successful, 39% believe it has not been successful, and 41% believe "it's too early to tell if it's a success or failure."
Both the Vietnam War and the Iraq War deeply divided American society and were ultimately considered failures. By 1971, over 50,000 American troops had died in Vietnam, and a Gallup poll at the time showed 61% of Americans believed sending troops was a mistake.
After the Bush administration launched the Iraq War in March 2003, by April 2006, when the conflict was bogged down and severe, and over 2400 American troops had died, a Washington Post/ABC News poll also found 59% of Americans believed the Iraq War was a mistake.
It is noteworthy that Trump reached the level of opposition seen years into the Vietnam and Iraq wars in just two months, and the Pentagon claims only 13 American soldiers have died in the Iran war, far fewer than in the aforementioned two wars.
A major goal of Trump's military action against Iran is to stop its nuclear weapons development, yet as many as 65% of surveyed Americans are not confident that "an agreement ending the war can prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons."
60% of surveyed Americans believe that military action against Iran increases the risk of economic recession. Over 40% stated that rising oil prices led them to drive less and cut household spending; over 30% said they had changed travel or vacation plans; and 60% said they were affected by at least one of these factors.
Americans also worry that Trump's military action against Iran could make them less safe. 61% believe it will increase the risk of terrorist attacks against Americans; 56% believe it will increase the risk of deteriorating relations with allies. Earlier, Trump had fiercely criticized European allies who questioned his Iran strategy, and Gulf allies also suffered from Iranian retaliatory attacks.
Trump has stated that the stalemate with Iran could continue for some time. On April 29, he again said he would make Iranian leaders "beg for mercy" and that "no deal will ever be made unless they agree never to acquire nuclear weapons"; Iran, however, has long denied seeking nuclear weapons and says an initial agreement to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping lane, should be reached first, before addressing nuclear issues.
The decision to attack Iran surprised some Americans, especially Trump's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) base, as it deviates from his 2024 campaign promise not to involve the US in overseas wars again.
There are also dissenting voices within the Trump administration regarding the Iran war, such as Vice President J.D. Vance, who fought in the Iraq War and has been strongly critical of past US military deployments in the Middle East. Although Vance deliberately downplayed internal disagreements over the Iran war in an April 29 interview with Fox News, he admitted concerns about the war depleting US ammunition stockpiles. (Compiler: Chen Yi-wei) 1150502
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Washington, May 1st, comprehensive foreign report) A new poll indicates that the unpopularity of President Trump's war on Iran has reached levels similar to the Vietnam War in the early 1970s and the worst period of the Iraq War in 2006, due to intensifying economic hardship and increased concerns about the risk of terrorist attacks.
The Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos conducted an online survey of 2560 adult Americans nationwide from April 24 to 28. The sample was weighted based on demographics, 2024 turnout/voting choice, and partisan leanings, with a sampling error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
The Washington Post noted that 61% of surveyed Americans believe military action against Iran is a mistake; only 19% believe the military action in Iran has been successful, 39% believe it has not been successful, and 41% believe "it's too early to tell if it's a success or failure."
Both the Vietnam War and the Iraq War deeply divided American society and were ultimately considered failures. By 1971, over 50,000 American troops had died in Vietnam, and a Gallup poll at the time showed 61% of Americans believed sending troops was a mistake.
After the Bush administration launched the Iraq War in March 2003, by April 2006, when the conflict was bogged down and severe, and over 2400 American troops had died, a Washington Post/ABC News poll also found 59% of Americans believed the Iraq War was a mistake.
It is noteworthy that Trump reached the level of opposition seen years into the Vietnam and Iraq wars in just two months, and the Pentagon claims only 13 American soldiers have died in the Iran war, far fewer than in the aforementioned two wars.
A major goal of Trump's military action against Iran is to stop its nuclear weapons development, yet as many as 65% of surveyed Americans are not confident that "an agreement ending the war can prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons."
60% of surveyed Americans believe that military action against Iran increases the risk of economic recession. Over 40% stated that rising oil prices led them to drive less and cut household spending; over 30% said they had changed travel or vacation plans; and 60% said they were affected by at least one of these factors.
Americans also worry that Trump's military action against Iran could make them less safe. 61% believe it will increase the risk of terrorist attacks against Americans; 56% believe it will increase the risk of deteriorating relations with allies. Earlier, Trump had fiercely criticized European allies who questioned his Iran strategy, and Gulf allies also suffered from Iranian retaliatory attacks.
Trump has stated that the stalemate with Iran could continue for some time. On April 29, he again said he would make Iranian leaders "beg for mercy" and that "no deal will ever be made unless they agree never to acquire nuclear weapons"; Iran, however, has long denied seeking nuclear weapons and says an initial agreement to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping lane, should be reached first, before addressing nuclear issues.
The decision to attack Iran surprised some Americans, especially Trump's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) base, as it deviates from his 2024 campaign promise not to involve the US in overseas wars again.
There are also dissenting voices within the Trump administration regarding the Iran war, such as Vice President J.D. Vance, who fought in the Iraq War and has been strongly critical of past US military deployments in the Middle East. Although Vance deliberately downplayed internal disagreements over the Iran war in an April 29 interview with Fox News, he admitted concerns about the war depleting US ammunition stockpiles. (Compiler: Chen Yi-wei) 1150502
Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship from you is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA "First-hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.