November 22-2013
One thing about political rhetoric in the Islamic Republic is that it doesn’t require any research or knowledge of facts. There are no fact-checkers in the media and no meters screaming ”pants on fire” when a politician grossly ignores the facts.
. . . no research needed
Recently, as the Iran Times has noted in several of these columns, political rhetoric from the military has been intent on declaring that the United States is no threat whatsoever to the Islamic Republic.
After years of hyping the American military threat and calling on the public to mobilize, it appears to many that the regime now fears it has only succeeded in frightening the Iranian public. Regardless, it is backtracking on the old rhetoric very, very quickly.
The new rhetoric just laughs at American power and dismisses it.
This week, Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Naqdi, the commander of the Basij, noted that President Obama recently mentioned for the umpteenth time that the military option remains on the table for the United States.
In the past, that would have prompted loud objections and charges that the United States was threatening Iran because it dislikes the Iranian people, Islam and the power of the Islamic Republic. But the complaint of American threats has now faded.
Instead, Naqdi said: “These are just boastful remarks and bluffing because the US Army and the American economy are weak and the people of the United States are not willing to go to war again.”
Our fact checkers will leave the strength of the US Army and American economy to others, although they note that wars have commonly boosted the US economy into high gear because of all the added spending.
But our fact checker wishes to take on the assertion by Naqdi that the American public is unwilling to go to war. He may be thinking about polls that showed the US public opposed attacking Syrian chemical weapons depots. But the real question isn’t public opinion on war with Syria; rather it is the opinion on war with Iran.
PollingReport.com has assembled dozens of polls on opinions regarding Iran. Below we publish the questions and responses to all the polling questions about going to war with Iran from 2012 and 2013.
There are a total of nine polls in that time frame and all but one of them shows a majority of the American public prepared to go to war to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons. The majorities range from 51 percent to 64 percent. The average is 54 percent support for military action and 37 percent opposition, with 9 percent unsure.
The two polls showing the most support for military action are the two most recent polls.
The questions are not all phrased the same so we include the exact wording of each question.
CBS News/New York Times Poll, June 1-4, 2013: Would you favor or oppose the United States taking military action against Iran in order to prevent them from producing a nuclear weapon?
Favor 58%
Oppose 37%
Unsure 5%
Pew Research Center, March 13-17, 2013: In your opinion, which is more important: to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, even if it means taking military action, or to avoid military conflict with Iran, even if it means they may develop nuclear weapons?
Prevent nukes 64%
Avoid conflict 25%
Neither 3%
Both 1%
Unsure 7%
Reuters/Ipsos Poll, March 8-11, 2012: Do you support or oppose the United States taking military action against Iran if there is evidence that Iran is building nuclear weapons?
Support 56%
Oppose 39%
Neither 2%
Unsure 3%
Reuters/Ipsos Poll, March 8-11, 2012: Do you support or oppose taking military action against Iran if there is evidence that Iran is building nuclear weapons even if it causes gasoline and fuel prices in the United States to go up?
Support 53%
Oppose 42%
Neither 2%
Unsure 2%
Pew Research Center, March 7-11, 2012: Which is your greater concern when it comes to dealing with Iran’s nuclear program—that we will take action too quickly or that we will wait too long?
Wait too long 54%
Act too quickly 34%
Unsure 12%
CBS News/New York Times Poll, March 7-11, 2012: Would you support or oppose the United States taking military action against Iran in order to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapons program?
Support 51%
Oppose 36%
Unsure 13%
ABC News/Washington Post Poll, March 7-10, 2012: To try to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, would you support or oppose the United States bombing Iran’s nuclear development sites?
Support 41%
Oppose 53%
Unsure 6%
NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll, March 1-3, 2012: If Iran continues with its nuclear research and is close to developing a nuclear weapon, do you believe that the United States should or should not initiate military action to destroy Iran’s ability to make nuclear weapons?
Should 52%
Should not 40%
Unsure 8%
Pew Research Center. February 8-12, 2012: In your opinion, which is more important, to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, even if it means taking military action, or to avoid a military conflict with Iran, even if it means they may develop nuclear weapons?
Prevent nukes 58%
Avoid conflict 30%
Neither 2%
Both 1%
Unsure 10%