Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Americans Say Iran War Will Destabilize Region and Raise Gas Prices

A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds growing public pessimism that could weaken Republican standing by increasing worry about higher fuel costs.

The burial service for U.S. soldier Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, who was killed in an attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, at the Long Island National Cemetery, in New York, U.S., July 31, 2026. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
Iranian Americans and supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran take part in a march passing in front of the U.S Department of Labor building with a banner with the image of U.S. President Donald Trump, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 16, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
People walk past an anti-U.S. billboard on a street in Tehran, Iran, August 3, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A woman walks past a billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump laid in a coffin, in Tehran, Iran, July 30, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Overview

  • The Reuters/Ipsos survey of 4,505 U.S. adults shows 50% expect the U.S. military campaign in Iran to make the Middle East less stable while just 17% expect more stability.
  • A clear majority, 58%, said they expect gasoline prices to worsen as the conflict has tightened naval routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and raised shipping costs.
  • Only 35% of respondents approve of the war and, for the first time in this polling series, registered voters prefer Democrats by one point on who handles war and terrorism better.
  • Reporting by Reuters estimates the campaign has cost at least $37.5 billion, resulted in 18 U.S. service members killed and thousands of Iranian fatalities, and produced repeated proxy attacks on shipping and neighbors.
  • The poll links public unease to political risk for President Trump and Republicans as operations continue with visible strategic uncertainty after the president stepped back from threatened massive strikes.