Americans appear unconvinced by President Donald Trump’s assurances that his war on Iran will be swift and decisive.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted between March 6-9 among 1,021 adults, shows that 60 percent of Americans expect U.S. military involvement in Iran will “go on for an extended period of time.”
That view is shared by 38 percent of Republicans and 77 percent of Democrats.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Since the launch of joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28, with the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in the opening salvos, Trump has been under pressure to define his endgame in Iran.
He previously said the war was “projected [to last] four to five weeks,” but has since wavered on a specific timeline.
In the meantime, retaliatory strikes have continued against countries with U.S. military bases, which have so far killed at least seven U.S. service members.
During a speech at a Republican lawmakers’ retreat in Miami on Monday, Trump gave mixed messages about the conflict, saying the war with Iran would “be finished pretty quickly”.
He added that “We’ve already won in many ways,” but admitted, “We haven’t won enough. We go forward, more determined than ever to achieve ultimate victory that will end this long-running danger once and for all."
He also told CBS News, “I think the war is very complete, pretty much”, and said the U.S. was “very far ahead of schedule.”
But polling suggests Americans are still uncertain about why the war was started in the first place.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents—64 percent—said Trump has failed to clearly spell out the objectives of the U.S. military campaign, a view shared by roughly one in four Republicans and about nine in 10 Democrats.
Meanwhile, overall support for the strikes remains low, with just 29 percent of Americans saying they approve of them.
Americans are also nervous about the possible financial implications of the war as it drags on with no clear end in sight.
Nearly half of Americans—49 percent—believe the war in Iran will hurt their personal finances, including about a third of Republicans and two-thirds of Democrats.
Roughly one in three Republicans said they were unsure how the conflict would affect them financially. Meanwhile, concern over fuel costs is widespread: 67 percent of respondents expect gas prices to rise over the next year, a view shared by 44 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats.
The survey is a red flag for Trump and the Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when Democrats hope to seize control of the House and Senate by campaigning on the cost-of-living crisis and arguing the GOP has failed to lower everyday prices for American families.
Trump returned to the White House last year after pledging to rein in inflation and end overseas conflicts and “forever wars.”
But since he ordered airstrikes on Iran, oil prices have climbed above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022, and gasoline has jumped by about 50 cents per gallon—roughly a 17 percent increase since the war began on Feb. 28. Analysts say fuel costs could stay elevated for weeks or even months worldwide, even if the fighting ends quickly.
The president has brushed off concerns about the spike, arguing the surge “doesn’t really affect us,” even as some Republicans worry higher prices could weaken the party’s economic message ahead of the November elections.
Speaking in Florida on Monday, Trump insisted prices were “artificially up” because of the conflict and promised they would fall once it ends, though he offered no timeline. In a Truth Social post, he also urged Americans to accept the temporary hit.
“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” he wrote. “ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY!”
