# Poll: US attacks on Iran **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 28, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088 "2026-02-28T22:15:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/1 "2026-02-28T22:15:01Z")
_Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/1))_ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/2 "2026-02-28T22:51:54Z")
I’ve read that the Ayatollah has been killed, so perhaps a regime change will bring them to the negotiation table. That said, I do NOT approve of provoking a regional war without Congress approval. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/3 "2026-02-28T22:54:41Z")
They were already at the negotiating table. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/4 "2026-02-28T23:20:50Z")
Trump is utterly unreliable & dishonest and can’t be usefully negotiated with; he tore up the last agreement. Iran could agree to anything and it would provide them zero protection from the attacks happening all over again the next week. Also, attacks like this create strong pressure _against_ negotiation of any kind. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/5 "2026-02-28T23:50:54Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > They were already at the negotiating table. Yeah - after previously having been party to an agreement, before some genius ripped it up… ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/6 "2026-03-01T00:17:42Z")
Seems we are not too far off overall public opinion: - [Only 21% of Americans Support the United States Initiating an Attack on Iran](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/us/politics/poll-americans-support-iran-attack.html) > The public’s appetite for a U.S. attack on Iran was low before President Trump and Israel took action on Saturday. > > Most Americans said they were either opposed to such action (49 percent) or were not sure (30 percent), according to University of Maryland poll taken two weeks ago. > > Among Republicans there were reservations, with 40 percent in favor of a strike, 25 percent opposed and 35 percent who said they did not know. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/7 "2026-03-01T12:45:37Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Yeah - after previously having been party to an agreement, before some genius ripped it up… That’s a serious point - there was an agreement before Trump stumbled in. Personally I think Trump has started a war to: - distract from his involvement with Epstein - whip up support for the mid-terms ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/8 "2026-03-01T13:01:58Z")
The Iranians should have payed the billion for the temper tanTrump’s in the White House ~~slush fund~~ fee for the Peace Board and everything would be okay. Concerning the poll in the OP, I have a problem. I support any attack against Iran. They are a shit regime (please note: regime. Not refering to the country nor the people). I also support any counter attack by Iran. The attack is illegal. This option is missing from the poll. And I think the attack is a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Lizzie1210](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Lizzie1210](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizzie1210)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/9 "2026-03-01T13:28:07Z")
Trump loves to play with the US military like they’re his own private toy soldiers. He has recklessly started a war in the Middle East that will set the whole region on fire and cause retaliatory attacks around the world. I sincerely believe that he chose to do this now as a diversionary tactic to deflect attention away from his endless Epstein problem….and his growing failures and unpopularity here in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/10 "2026-03-01T16:22:58Z")
My personal belief is that he attacked because his tariffs being struck down hurt his ego, so he decided to attack somebody more-or-less at random to feel Big and Strong again. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/11 "2026-03-01T18:02:28Z")
I support it, but I know I’m in the minority. Also war requires approval from congress, there is a reason we don’t let the executive branch just do whatever they want with the military. Trump should not have these powers in his own hands. As far as why I support it, for one thing, it shows China that US military capability, and the capabilities of our allies who we sell weapons to, is very strong which will hopefully discourage China from invading Taiwan. Also it shows Russians how competent militaries fight wars. Putin has tried for 4 years to capture Zelensky and failed. The US captured Maduro and killed khamenei pretty easily. Hopefully this creates a lot of unrest in the Russian people as they slowly realize Putin is incompetent and Russian military hardware is crap. Having said that, I doubt there will be easy regime change. After Maduro was captured in Venezuela, nothing changed. They just picked a new figurehead to keep the corrupt dictatorship going. The same thing will probably happen in Iran. It would be nice of there was regime change in Iran because Iran supports proxies, supports Russia and has their missile and nuclear program. But unlodging a dictatorship with half a million or more ideological paramilitary soldiers will not be easy w/o an actual land invasion, and nobody wants to do that for good reasons. US air support in Libya helped bring down Qadaffi, but that doesn’t mean what came after was much better. What may happen is that this becomes a new pattern, every 6 months or so the US and Israel bomb Iranian leadership, air defenses, paramilitary headquarters, nuclear sites, missile sites and weapons capabilities. While they are doing that groups tied to Israel and the US are going to be in Iran, training and arming people to rise up against the regime in the hopes the Iranian people themselves do the heavy lifting of regime change. In the past I supported cuts to military spending, and the was in Iraq and Afghanistan were a waste. But with islamic fascism, Russia invading Ukraine, China trying to become the new superpower, and North Korea nuclear proliferation I want a stronger, competent military force. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/12 "2026-03-01T18:10:06Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > attacks like this create strong pressure _against_ negotiation of any kind. That is, unfortunately, very true. It reinforces the doctrine of hegemony – that the US will do whatever it wants “because we can”. This has rarely been stated explicitly since the Monroe Doctrine, but Stephen Miller has pretty much said just that in so many words. This action will inflame hatred, suspicion, and distrust against America from around the world for decades to come. Guess how I voted on the poll? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/13 "2026-03-01T19:39:09Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > it shows China that US military capability, and the capabilities of our allies who we sell weapons to, is very strong which will hopefully discourage China from invading Taiwan. Also it shows Russians how competent militaries fight wars. Putin has tried for 4 years to capture Zelensky and failed. The US captured Maduro and killed khamenei pretty easily. Hopefully this creates a lot of unrest in the Russian people as they slowly realize Putin is incompetent and Russian military hardware is crap. It might make the Chinese think invading Taiwan is a good idea now that the USA is busy shooting at someone else. It also shows Russia that it is perfectly fine to kidnap or assassinate leaders of countries one doesn’t like. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/14 "2026-03-01T19:48:01Z")
This bombing is the spasm of an unsound mind, with little to no planning of its second- or third-order effects, but purely for spectacle so [someone] can bash their fist against a podium and appear strong. Make no mistake though, that North Korea, Cuba, Russia, China, et al. have been watching this with wild interest, learning our techniques, strategy, and _limitations_. Those third-world regimes that didn’t think they needed WMD sure do want them now. Mark my words: we are much closer to using nuclear weapons than **ever,** and we have approx. three more years to ride out this clown’s circus. This clown tipped our hand, and now we all will be paying for it **in blood** for years. Tripler I’m so angry right now I can’t even type this jackass’ name, ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/15 "2026-03-01T19:59:31Z")
America is a rogue state and needs to be put down like a rabid dog. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/16 "2026-03-01T20:10:17Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > It might make the Chinese think invading Taiwan is a good idea now that the USA is busy shooting at someone else. It also shows Russia that it is perfectly fine to kidnap or assassinate leaders of countries one doesn’t like. Taiwan has a lot of military capabilities of its own, and the US has 11 aircraft carriers, only 2 of which are involved in this war. Putin has been trying to capture or kill Zelensky since the war in Ukraine started. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/17 "2026-03-01T20:11:59Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Putin has been trying to capture or kill Zelensky since the war in Ukraine started. So you think Trump is a more robust version of Putin? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/18 "2026-03-01T20:24:36Z")
It has now become a legitimate method of fighting a war. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/19 "2026-03-01T20:25:19Z")
Let us hope that the United States military is superior to the Russian. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088/20 "2026-03-01T20:28:21Z")
Even with lying clowns like Trump and Hegseth in charge, and no apparent mission or planning beyond the initial attacks, you support them starting this war? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-us-attacks-on-iran/1028088.md?page=2)