Majority of US voters oppose military action against Iran, polls show

Two new polls released Wednesday indicate that a majority of voters oppose US military action against Iran and believe President Donald Trump has “overstepped” his bounds abroad.

According to a Quinnipiac University poll of registered voters, 70% oppose US military intervention in Iran, even if protesters are killed during demonstrations against the Iranian government. In contrast, only 18% of respondents support military action.

Opposition largely followed party lines, with 79% of Democrats and 80% of independents opposing intervention. While Republicans were more supportive of a harder line, a majority (53%) still maintained that the US should remain uninvolved.

The survey also revealed that 70% of voters believe the president must obtain Congressional approval before initiating military action. Trump did not seek Congressional authorization prior to the capture of Maduro, a move that drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.

Five Republican senators—Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Todd Young of Indiana, and Josh Hawley of Missouri—joined Democratic lawmakers in drafting a bill that would require Trump to secure Congressional approval before taking any further military steps in Venezuela.

Trump rebuked the senators in a post on Truth Social, stating that Republicans should be “ashamed” of them and arguing they should “never be elected again” because their votes “greatly hinder American Self-Defense and National Security.”

Voters showed even less support for other aggressive foreign policy maneuvers undertaken by the Trump administration to expand US influence abroad. Trump has argued that the push to bring Greenland under US control served national security interests and would benefit NATO.

Despite these claims, 86% of respondents rejected the use of military force to seize Greenland, while 55% opposed even purchasing the territory.

The results reflect a growing resistance among voters toward US involvement in foreign conflicts amid a series of executive actions. A separate poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that an increasing number of Americans want the US to take a “less active role” in global affairs.

Following the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, the poll found that 56% of Americans believe Trump has “gone too far” in using military force abroad. Furthermore, 45% stated they want the country to be less involved in solving global problems, up from 33% in September 2025.

Despite widespread skepticism regarding foreign military operations, many Americans remain optimistic about the potential impact of the US intervention in Venezuela.

Approximately half of adults believe that the capture of Maduro and the military action in Venezuela will be “mostly a good thing” for stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the US. Additionally, 44% believe the move will ultimately benefit the Venezuelan people rather than harm them.

The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted by telephone from January 8-12, 2025, surveying 1,133 registered voters. The AP-NORC poll was conducted from January 8-11, 2025, involving 1,097 respondents online and 106 via telephone.