The Iran War isn’t just unpopular. From the start, it had the lowest support among Americans of any war in U.S. history—and wars do not get more popular as time goes on. Indeed, for most conflicts, public support is strongest during the initial outbreak of hostilities. But even by that metric, the Iran War is still the most unpopular.
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In six months of conflict, the United States has suffered fewer than 20 troops killed in action, with potentially hundreds more wounded (the exact number isn’t currently clear) and billions in equipment losses—a low number, especially compared to other American wars.
But that’s clearly not something most people take into consideration, according to the numbers. Support for the Iran War has been underwater from the jump, something altogether unique in the history of American conflicts.
No Rally Around the Flag
Historically, American wars begin with a honeymoon period. In 2001, 88% of Americans supported military action in Afghanistan. Despite opposition to the Invasion of Iraq in 2003, once U.S. troops were on the ground, the war enjoyed support from 72% of Americans. Even the Vietnam War, deeply unpopular by the time it ended, had 61% of Americans behind it. The Iran War didn’t get a honeymoon; most of America would have preferred to leave it at the altar.
The Vietnam War was able to hit most Americans where they lived. Daily losses were broadcast into homes via television for the first time. Draft lotteries pulled scores of civilians into uniform every year. It wasn’t long before half the country thought the U.S. intervention in Southeast Asia was a mistake. In January 1968, the Tet Offensive shattered the government’s credibility. For Iraq, it took about 16 months for the public to turn.
In Afghanistan, support remained high for about 10 years. Memories of 9/11 kept support alive for the decade, and the Iraq War was drawing most of the public’s ire. It wasn’t until 2011 that most of the U.S. public favored pulling out of Afghanistan, hastened by the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Only 44% of the country supported the war against Iran, compared to 58% in support of Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Support and opposition for both was deeply divided along partisan lines, but as the Iran War drags on, the partisan lines have begun to blur—at least as far as the Iran War and its unpopularity is concerned.
Emphasis on America
It’s no surprise that 91% of Democratic voters disapproved of the handling of the Iran War in the latest Ipsos poll. What might concern Republicans is that 80% of independents also disapproved. Although the majority of Republican voters still support military action in Iran, the latest Politico poll found that support among President Donald Trump’s MAGA base is slipping.
Support from MAGA fell 13 points in the last two months, with one in five MAGA voters saying the U.S. needs to end the war immediately, no matter how much it cost. A Washington Post/Ipsos poll found support from non-MAGA Republicans is even worse: net approval ratings on the president’s handling of the war fell from +26% in April to -25% now.
Polls don’t mean much to the troops fighting any war, even an unpopular one, but it makes a huge difference to those who plan and lead one.
The Price of Unpopularity
Estimates say the Iran War costs roughly $2 billion per day. The Department of Defense says it cost $37.5 billion so far, and asked for another $67 billion to continue the operation. This comes at a time when Americans are already feeling the cost of rising prices. Many believe that money is better spent elsewhere and that the war will only make the “affordability crisis” worse.
To top it all off, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed as the price of oil jumped to above $90 a barrel. At the pump, it translates to more than $4.00 per gallon, some of the highest prices since the COVID 19 pandemic. And there’s no end in sight.
The worst part, and likely the biggest reason for the Iran War being so unpopular, is that Americans don’t know why the U.S. is fighting Iran at all.
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