Sebastian Martin & Alexander Shaw
palmettoreport@gmail.com

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — On February 28, the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury, which began a bombing campaign on Iran and its allies in the Middle East, but the conflict appears to be unpopular among a majority of Americans, including on the Winthrop University campus.

A new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll suggests that roughly 60% of Americans disapprove of how President Trump is handling the Iran war.

Similarly, a Pew Research Center poll in late March found that about six in 10 Americans (61%) disapproved of military action in Iran.

However, the Pew poll of 3,524 U.S. adults found deep partisan divides among respondents, with Democrats overwhelming disapproving of Trump’s handling of the conflict (90%), as opposed to Republicans (69%) who support the president’s handling of the war.

On the Winthrop campus, many people also said they opposed the conflict.

“The war in Iran, I feel like it is completely senseless. I think it, it has nothing to do with America and it has everything to do with Israel,” said Ellyss Hill, a Winthrop student.

A number of students cited the cost of the war, as a reason for their opposition.

“The war in Iran feels kind of just like a big waste of time and money on the U.S.’s half,” said Dee Ateca, an art history major.

“Just another pointless oil war, you know? Just a reason for us to expand our military and kind of justify the huge and unnecessary budget increase,” said Pierre Blesser, a music education major.

“I think the war with Iran is kind of complete (BS). I think it’s just kind of a money grab, because war makes a lot of money,” said Bailey Sage, another Winthrop student.

Ateca said he thought the war was also about power.

“It feels like the Trump administration is kind of just taking a grab for power in the Middle East,” Ateca said. “Trump has said that he wants a role in the picking of Iran’s new leader and it’s like why would you kill their old leader and then want a hand in it if you’re not grabbing for power.”