Americans Say Biden's Iran Policy Failed

US President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House in Washington, August 16, 2023
US President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House in Washington, August 16, 2023

A recent online poll in the United States reveals that 61 percent of Americans believe the Biden administration's Iran policy has failed.

Moreover, a significant majority, 76 percent, believe that the Gazan militant group, Hamas, is receiving support from Iran in its war waged on October 7 against Israel.

Two thirds (67 percent) of voters expressed support for the US actively striking against terrorist groups with 74 percent of voters endorsing retaliatory attacks on the Houthis in Yemen for the blockade of global shipping in the Red Sea and the group's targeting of US ships. A further 84 percent advocate for increased military responses if the Houthis persist in the blockade on the route which accounts for 12 percent of global trade.

The survey also highlights public sentiment towards Iran and its proxies in the Middle East, with 74 percent of respondents affirming the belief that the Houthis receive guidance and assistance from Iran. Additionally, 63 percent agree that sanctions against Iran should be intensified in light of the more than 100 attacks on US targets in the region since October 7 and the US backing of Israel's retaliatory bombardment of Gaza following the Hamas atrocities of what was the single most deadly day for Jews since the Holocaust.

The monthly poll, a collaboration between the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard (CAPS) and the Harris Poll and HarrisX, surveyed 2,346 registered voters.

The Iranian government has refrained from direct military engagement in the Gaza conflict, opting to avoid escalation with Israel and the US. Nonetheless, its proxy militias in the Middle East have increasingly targeted US and Israeli interests, along with international shipping routes in the Red Sea.

The United States maintains a presence of 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq, supporting and advising local forces to counter the resurgence of the Islamic State which had previously seized significant territories in both countries in 2014 before facing defeat.