For over four weeks now the United States and the global landscape has been rocked by a conflict with Iran that began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched a joint-attack on the middle-eastern nation of Iran.
Although the conflict is currently taking place thousands of miles away, the effects on the United States have been felt ranging from higher energy prices to the deaths of American service members.
Using questions from the Associated Press’ National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, the Talon staff sent out a poll to the student body surrounding the Iranian war in regards to how the operation is being conducted, foreign policy goals, and the effects of the war at home.
Around 67% of Raptors say that the US military action in Iran has “gone too far.” Only around 18% say it has “gone about right,” and 11% say it “hasn’t gone far enough.”
It is unclear what the definitive plan is for the remainder of U.S. military action in Iran. Last week President Trump (R) delayed his deadline he had imposed for a threat to strike Iranian power plants, stating that talks with Iranian officials on ending the conflict were going “very well.” Iran denies that there are any negotiations happening directly with the United States.
Pakistan, which has offered to serve as an intermediary country, passed along a 15-point peace plan proposed by the White House to Iran. The plan was rejected by the Iranian officials, with no clear path to negotiations yet. This lack of a clear route forward had drawn frustration from Magnet students as well as Americans over the uncertainty of the end of a conflict that has rocked the global markets.
Among the 11% of students surveyed who believe military action has not gone far enough. Iran’s volatility has been a major talking point among supporters of military action, frequently citing Iran’s past actions towards protesters as justification for regime change. In February amidst a series of anti-government protests, the Iranian government issued an internet blackout, and killed over 7,000 demonstrators.
Although students are split on opinions surrounding military action, a widely uniting opinion is that the United States should avoid sending ground troops into Iran. Over 70% of students stated they were strongly opposed to deploying U.S. troops to fight in Iran.
The cost of energy has been a widely agreed upon issue, with over 70% of students agreeing that preventing U.S. oil and gas prices from rising is “very important” or “extremely important” compared to only 8.8% who believe preventing gas prices from rising is not too important or not at all important. As of Tuesday, March 31 the average gasoline price in the United States has risen to above 4$ per gallon.
LOREM IPSUM
