Analysis: Why ending war with Iran might be very difficult for Trump?

US President Donald Trump's war with Iran hasn't exactly been a resounding success so far. And a large part of the American public hopes that the end of the conflict - whenever it may be - will not change that perception.

Surveys conducted in recent weeks paint a picture of an American public that has had enough. People didn't like the war from the start, they don't believe it will result in much positive, and they don't seem to expect meaningful concessions - or at least worthwhile concessions.

In short, there isn't much faith that Trump has a good way out of this war.

Continue lendo

27/05/2026

'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', 100 years old: why was Agatha Christie's novel voted the best whodunit of all time?

The crime writer Agatha ChristieAlamyIn 2013, the British Crime Writers Association (CWA) met to choose, as part of it...

27/05/2026

Divers try to bring food to survivors trapped in cave in Laos: 'Getting them out won't be easy'

Watch the moment rescue team finds 5 of the missing in cave in LaosDivers taking part in the rescue of five survivors...

27/05/2026

'I thought he was having a stroke', says Joe Biden's wife, about her husband's performance in the debate with Trump in 2024

Former US President, Joe Biden, in a photo with his wife, Jill Biden, and the couple's cat, in an image released on Ma...

Memorial Day weekend offered some perspective on this. Some of the most significant signs yet of real progress toward an agreement to end the war have emerged. But as details leaked out, it became clear that these were completely unacceptable proposals to many hard-line Republicans. Some of these Republicans even warned that the deal could leave Iran stronger than it was before the war.

And if Iran maintains its adamant stance, it's unclear what kind of deal could allow Trump to save face and end the war before it becomes an even bigger problem for the Republican Party.

Several surveys suggest that people simply want it all to end.

Top Cifras

Toque agora.

1 Declaramos Daniel Souza

2 Ainda te amo Banda Calypso

3 Esposa das Esposas MÚSICA PARA MISSA

4 Mãe De Pentecostes Alvaro e Daniel

A Fox News poll last week showed that just 39% of registered voters wanted U.S. military operations to last "as long as necessary to achieve American objectives," compared with 61% who preferred a "limited time frame."

Similarly, a New York Times-Siena College poll showed that 52% of registered voters said the United States should end military operations even if it cannot reach an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program.

Only 37% wanted to resume military operations if countries are unable to reach an agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

And this latest poll, as well as other data, reinforces that Americans are not exactly optimistic about an acceptable agreement.

On the contrary, it seems that they tend to view everything that is produced with skepticism.

The Times-Siena poll indicated that only 22% believed the war would be "very successful" in eliminating Iran's nuclear program - a program that, it is worth emphasizing, the Trump administration already claimed had been "obliterated" last year.

Another 18% thought it would be "fairly successful", while 50% expected it to be unsuccessful.

Similarly, 65% of Americans were "not very confident" or "not at all confident" that a deal to end the war would prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons (which has been Trump's repeated red line), according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

And nearly two-thirds were only "fairly" confident, or less, that the government would achieve its goals in Iran, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

Even if a deal is reached on terms that are reasonably favorable to the United States, that does not mean that Americans will consider it valid.

Registered voters said 55% to 21% that the war would not be worth the costs, according to the Times-Siena poll.

Polls have also routinely illustrated that Americans think war will be counterproductive on several fronts. The Post-ABC poll showed that Americans said:

- 61% to 11% that the war increased the risk of terrorism against Americans
- 56% to 12% that it risked weakening US relations
- 49% to 21% that stability in the Middle East will worsen

Even if Trump defies the odds and manages to strike a favorable deal for the US, he has another critical problem: Americans no longer trust him on this issue.

The most recent CNN poll, for example, shows that only 20% of Americans have "a lot" of confidence in Trump to make good decisions on Iran.

About three times as many - 59% - have "little" or no confidence.

Trump has already abandoned many of his most absolutist demands. He used to say he would only accept "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER", for example.

At other times, he stated that his main goals were to completely end Iran's nuclear program and prevent the country from financing groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Based on the most recent terms of negotiations, these objectives appear to be being diluted.

Trump appears to have made two critical mistakes from the beginning: he did not have a clear and viable plan to end the war, and he did not sufficiently sell the war to the American people. Instead, he set the bar for success so high that he would have difficulty reaching it - unless he resumed large-scale hostilities and prolonged the war - and told voters after launching the attacks that it would be worth the pain.

Clearly, Americans disagree. And while leaving now is possibly better politically than letting things drag on, it may simply be the least terrible option.

Survey: 6 in 10 Americans see war with Iran as a mistake

Source: CNN