Ramin Mazaheri
Press TV
Despite attempts to stoke Iranophobia in the West, a new poll shows that average Americans are incredibly supportive of diplomacy with Iran. Press TV's Ramin Mazaheri reports from Chicago.
Four out of five Americans think Washington should pursue negotiations with Tehran, but Joe Biden has continued with his predecessor’s “maximum pressure” campaign against the Iranian people.
A new study covering a range of foreign policy issues found that a whopping 79 percent of Americans believe that “the United States should continue to pursue negotiations” with Iran.
On almost no other key foreign policy question is there such broad support across generations and political affiliations - from the American withdrawal from Afghanistan to the unrest in Ukraine to the expansion of NATO and others.
The study’s authors even declared that politicians who criticize diplomatic efforts with Iran are “out of step with many of their voters”.
Biden campaigned on a promise of a diplomatic return to the JCPOA pact on Iran’s nuclear energy program. In major backtracking, he has continued to not uphold America’s end of the deal and has imposed round after round of new sanctions on Iran.
From the Washington Beltway to Hollywood, Iranophobia, Islamophobia and violent belligerence towards Tehran have been pushed by America’s political, media, and academic elites. However, the poll seems to prove that these messages have been emphatically rejected by the average American.
The poll noted that for the fifth straight year the percentage of Americans who think the US should negotiate directly with adversaries has grown, now reaching 65%. Two-thirds of America support the country’s total withdrawal from Afghanistan. 40% of people declaring an opinion believe that the US has not responded well to the unrest in Ukraine.
The only foreign policy issue which gained as much support as diplomacy with Iran was that 80% of Americans demand more Congressional oversight of the executive branch’s ability to unilaterally declare wars.