Poll finds broad disapproval of Trump’s handling of Iran

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of Iran, according to a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. The findings show weak public support for Trump’s approach to a war that began Feb. 28, even as his administration moved toward a deal with Tehran.

The AP-NORC survey found that 65% of adults disapprove of Trump’s handling of issues involving Iran. Views were sharply split by party: most Democrats and independents viewed his actions negatively, while 28% of Republicans said they were unhappy with his approach.

Trump’s overall job approval stood at 37%, according to AP-NORC, unchanged from the group’s May poll. Approval of his Iran policy was also near one-third, roughly in line with last month’s reading.

Survey taken as Iran deal took shape

The poll was conducted June 11-17, after Trump backed away from threats to escalate the conflict with Iran, according to AP-NORC. During the polling period, Trump announced a deal with Iran and authorized the end of a U.S. naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz; the survey ended shortly before the agreement was signed Wednesday.

The agreement allows Iran to resume selling oil freely, according to AP. It also reopens the Strait of Hormuz without tolls for two months, restarts U.S.-Iran talks over Tehran’s nuclear program and requires Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Some Republicans interviewed by AP were dissatisfied with the agreement’s terms. David Farrington, a 79-year-old Republican-leaning independent from Fort Worth, Texas, told AP he was frustrated that the deal centered on the strait and did not secure more on Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Donald McBride, a 28-year-old independent in Plano, Texas, told AP he voted for Trump but opposed the war with Iran. McBride said Trump had failed to keep a campaign pledge to keep the United States out of foreign wars and said he wanted the fighting to end.

Most say U.S. action has gone too far

The AP-NORC poll found that 53% of U.S. adults said American military action against Iran had gone too far. That was down slightly from 59% in March, according to AP-NORC.

Republicans were more divided. About 4 in 10 Republicans said U.S. action had been about right, while 37% said it had not gone far enough, according to the poll.

Joan Jones, a 64-year-old independent in northwest Florida, told AP she believed U.S. action against Iran was needed because of the threat she saw from Iran. She described the strikes as a way to protect Americans from nuclear attacks.

Low marks on Israel and the economy

Trump also received weak ratings on Israel, with 34% of U.S. adults approving of his handling of the issue, according to AP-NORC. AP reported that tensions have risen between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Trump criticized recent Israeli attacks in Lebanon that threatened U.S.-Iran negotiations.

James Huffman, a 69-year-old Republican in Medway, Ohio, told AP he thought Trump was using the wrong strategy with Netanyahu. Huffman said Netanyahu would act on his own priorities rather than follow Trump’s wishes.

On the economy, about one-third of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s approach, AP-NORC found. Among Republicans, 69% approved of his handling of the economy, lower than the 78% who approved of his presidency overall.

Patricia Bailey, a 42-year-old Republican in Parkersburg, West Virginia, told AP that prices felt out of control and said Trump had let her down. Bailey said she believed the war had distracted him from earlier economic promises.

The AP-NORC poll surveyed 3,040 adults from June 11-17 using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to represent the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all adults was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.