Poll: Less Than Half Of Americans Are Confident Iran Will Hold Up Its End Of The Nuclear Deal
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ (CBS) – A new Monmouth University poll reveals that while most Americans support negotiations with Iran on the country's nuclear capabilities, few actually believe Iran will hold up its end of the bargain.
The poll, which was conducted over the weekend before the agreement was struck on Tuesday, involved just over 1,000 U.S. adults.
About ¾ of Americans polled were aware America had been negotiating with Iran in an effort to curb its nuclear program. Forty-nine percent of those polled said attempting to work on a deal with Iran was a good idea, but 55 percent also say that they don't trust Iran to abide by the deal.
Gov. Christie seems to fall into the half that thinks the negotiations were a bad idea, which is in line with the rest of his party: 55 percent of Republicans polled felt it was not a good idea to negotiate with Iran.
On Tuesday, just hours after a deal was struck, Christie released a statement that reads:
"After two years of humiliating concessions by President Obama, he has made his deal with Iran. He should have walked away. Iran joins the sad list of countries where America's red lines have been crossed. The president is playing a dangerous game with our national security, and the deal as structured will lead to a nuclear Iran and, then, a nuclearized Middle East. The deal threatens Israel, it threatens the United States, and it turns 70 years of nuclear policy on its head. I urge Republicans and Democrats in Congress to put aside politics and act in the national interest. Vote to disapprove this deal in numbers that will override the President's threatened veto."
The poll results and the Governor's statement were released just after news broke that following 18 days of intense negotiations, the U.S. and five other world powers had reached a deal to freeze Iran's nuclear program for the next decade in exchange for gradual sanctions relief that rolls out as Iran complies with a multi-step process.