Most say the war with Iran is not worth fighting

Most Americans say the war with Iran has not been worth fighting, and the public continues to view President Trump’s handling of Iran negatively. Seven in 10 consider preventing oil and gas prices from rising an important U.S. foreign policy goal of the United States, and most say they are experiencing stress over the cost of gas.

Only 33% think the war with Iran has been worth fighting, while 64% say it has not been worth it. Sixty-one percent of Republicans think the war has been worthwhile compared with only 10% of Democrats.

Roughly 3 in 10 approve of how Trump is handling Iran. This has remained relatively stable since last asked on the June 2026 AP-NORC poll. Democrats continue to strongly disapprove (96%) of Trump’s handling of Iran, while 61% of Republicans approve, down from 71% in June.

There is not much consensus amongst the public on what the U.S. should do moving forward when it comes to the war with Iran. Twenty-three percent believe the U.S. should continue military action, while another 23% say the military attacks should stop. Three in 10 think the U.S. should pause military action and seek a renewed ceasefire through negotiations, while 24% say they don’t know enough to have an opinion. The poll was conducted as the U.S. and Iran paused their attacks in an effort to restart negotiations for an interim ceasefire deal.

Republicans are much more likely than both Democrats and independents to believe the U.S. should continue military attacks against Iran and Democrats are more likely than independents or Republicans to say the U.S. should either pause military action and seek a renewed ceasefire through negotiations or stop completely.

Although the public is divided over how to handle the war with Iran, most still believe negotiating a permanent ceasefire is an important foreign policy goal of the U.S. A majority also believe that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and preventing U.S. oil and gas prices from rising are important. However, there’s more division over preventing Iran from threatening Israel.

While most of the public supports negotiating a permanent ceasefire, Democrats are more likely than both Republicans and independents to say this is an important foreign policy goal. Republicans are more likely to emphasize the importance of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or threatening Israel. Democrats and Republicans prioritize controlling U.S. oil and gas prices about equally.

Forty percent of Americans cite the cost of gas as a major source of stress in their lives right now. Thirty-nine percent say it’s a minor source of stress, and 21% say it is not a source of stress for them.

In comparison, the February 2026 AP-NORC poll conducted prior to the start of the war found only 27% reporting the cost of gas as a major stressor, with 42% citing it as a minor source of stress, and 30% who said it was not a source of stress.