Americans are more confused about the Trump administration’s goals in launching a war with Iran now than when President Donald Trump initiated the military strikes in February, a new survey from CBS News and YouGov found.
In a survey conducted between March 17 and March 20, approximately 68 percent of the 3,300 respondents said the administration had yet to clearly explain the goals of attacking Iran.
That’s six percentage points higher than when the same question was asked in a similar survey conducted between March 2 and March 4 – shortly after the U.S. and Israel launched missiles against Iran.
In that CBS News / YouGov survey, 62 percent of respondents said the administration had not clearly explained its goals. At the time, 38 percent of people said they had been clearly explained – now, that number is 32 percent.
Trump initially said the goals of the war were to eliminate Iran’s navy, ensuring it cannot attack neighbors in the Middle East, and that it cannot produce a nuclear weapon.
But it’s unclear how much of a threat Iran posed to the U.S. During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing last week, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard indicated in her written opening statement that Iran was not rebuilding its nuclear facilities damaged by the U.S. in strikes last year.
Although not a stated goal, the president has also made comments indicating he wanted a say in choosing a new leader for the regime. When asked about the president’s goals in early March, 80 percent of respondents said the president was trying to change leadership in Iran.
Administration officials have also given different timelines. Trump initially said the conflict could last anywhere from four to five weeks, or potentially longer. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later told reporters there was no timeline for the war.
While the president has insisted the U.S. is close to fulfilling its goals in Iran, Trump said in early March he wouldn’t take anything less than “unconditional surrender” from Iran.
But as recently as Friday, Trump indicated he could be winding down the conflict soon because the U.S. has achieved objectives “ahead of schedule” – however, he said that would not mean a ceasefire.
The shifting explanations have led to confusion; even members of the president’s political party have criticized the changing statements.
When asked by ABC News what the primary objective of the war is, Republican Senator Thom Tillis replied: "I don't know, and I think it's a real problem.”
Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned last week, saying he could not support the war with Iran because there was no evidence it posed a threat to the U.S. The resignation has led to more questions about the U.S.’s intention in starting the war with Iran.
The Independent has asked the White House for comment.
Overwhelmingly, Americans think ending the conflict with Iran as quickly as possible is important for the U.S. More than half of respondents to the CBS News / YouGov survey said that changing Iran’s leadership to people who are pro-U.S. was not important.
Many are not confident the war will last a matter of weeks, 37 percent believe the war could go on for months and 14 percent said it could continue for years.
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