Most voters say they would support sending some U.S. troops, along with missile and air defenses to Saudi Arabia in response to attacks on oil facilities earlier this month that have been blamed on Iran, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released Thursday, reports The Hill.
According to the numbers:
- 58% said they'd back sending military support to Saudi Arabia;
- 42% said they opposed the move;
- 72% said they support the Trump administration's sanctions on Iran after the attacks;
- 71% said they favor diplomacy and economic pressure on Iran rather than a military strike.
“Iran is seen as the No. 1 enemy of the U.S. in the world today and yet Americans want more diplomacy first," Mark Penn, the co-director of the Harvard Caps/Harris poll, said. "The public does not want to take direct military action against Iran unless they attack American interests, but they fully support sending more troops and missile defenses to help protect Saudi Arabia,”
Meanwhile, 64% of those surveyed said they would object to a U.S.-led military engagement in the Middle East, but 34% said they would back it.
The only way most Americans would support a U.S.-led strike on Iran is if it launched an attack directly on the U.S. personnel or assets, with 73% saying they'd approve.
The poll surveyed 2,009 registered voters between Sept. 22-24. As the survey was drawn online, it did not report a probability confidence interval.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.