25. March 2026

POLL: Most Americans Say Trump's Military Action Against Iran Has Gone Too Far

WASHINGTON-- Most Americans say recent U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far, and many are increasingly concerned about rising gasoline costs, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The survey, conducted as the U.S.-backed conflict with Iran enters its fourth week, suggests the issue could become a growing political challenge for President Donald Trump, even as his overall approval rating remains steady.

About 59% of U.S. adults say the military action in Iran has been excessive. At the same time, 45% say they are “extremely” or “very” worried about being able to afford gasoline in the coming months, up from 30% in a poll conducted shortly after Trump’s reelection.

The findings highlight a potential tension for the White House. Roughly two-thirds of Americans say preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon should be a high priority. But a similar share also say it is important to keep U.S. oil and gas prices from rising.

About 4 in 10 Americans approve of Trump’s performance as president, unchanged from last month. His ratings on foreign policy and on Iran specifically — 34% and 35%, respectively — have also remained largely stable.

Trump has sent additional warships and troops to the Middle East but has offered limited clarity about his long-term strategy. While escalating pressure on Iran, he has also suggested the conflict could be resolved through diplomacy.

Public skepticism remains high. About half of Americans say they have little to no trust in Trump to make the right decisions about the use of military force abroad, consistent with polling earlier this year.

Most Americans oppose expanding the conflict. About 6 in 10 say they “somewhat” or “strongly” oppose deploying U.S. ground troops to fight Iran, including about 8 in 10 Democrats and roughly half of Republicans.

Support for airstrikes is also limited. Just under half of Americans oppose strikes targeting Iranian leaders or military sites, while about 3 in 10 support such actions and a similar share are unsure.

Concern about the war varies sharply by political party. About 9 in 10 Democrats and roughly 6 in 10 independents say the military action has gone too far. Republicans are more divided: about half say the response has been “about right,” while only about 2 in 10 believe it has not gone far enough. Roughly one-quarter say it has gone too far.

Economic anxiety is also partisan. About 6 in 10 Democrats say they are highly concerned about affording gasoline, compared with about 3 in 10 Republicans.

Republicans are more likely than Democrats to prioritize stopping Iran’s nuclear program. While about two-thirds of Americans overall say it is a top concern, roughly 8 in 10 Republicans consider it highly important, compared with about half of Democrats.

Other U.S. objectives draw less support. Only about 4 in 10 Americans say preventing Iran from threatening Israel should be a high priority, and about 3 in 10 say it is important to replace Iran’s government with one more aligned with U.S. interests.

Recent AP-NORC surveys have found that about 6 in 10 Americans believe Trump has “gone too far” on several major issues, including tariffs and the expansion of presidential power. The findings suggest his handling of Iran, while unpopular, is broadly in line with public views on other aspects of his presidency.

The poll of 1,150 adults was conducted March 19–23 using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to represent the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.