Majority against new Iran bans: US poll

The majority of Americans are opposed to the US Congress imposing additional sanctions against Iran following a deal between Tehran and the Sextet over the country’s nuclear energy program, a poll indicates.
The poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates for Americans United for Change found that a total of 68 percent of respondents believe Congress “should closely monitor how the agreement is being implemented, but it should NOT take any action that would block the agreement or jeopardize the negotiations for a permanent settlement.”

According to the poll, which was published on Monday, 64 percent of participants had a somewhat low estimate of Congressmen “who want new sanctions now if it undermines the agreement.”

On November 24, Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – Russia, China, France, Britain and the US – plus Germany sealed an interim deal in the Swiss city of Geneva to lay the groundwork for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over its civilian nuclear work.

In exchange for Iran’s confidence-building bid to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the six world powers agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

According to the interim agreement, no new sanctions should be imposed against Iran over the course of the next six months.

However, a number of key senators have indicated that they are ready to press forward with a new package of anti-Iran sanctions as an “insurance policy” that can be imposed quickly if the recent interim deal between Tehran and the Sextet fails to lead to a long-term agreement.

Iran has warned that it would leave the negotiating table if additional sanctions are approved by the US Congress.

“The findings of this research are very clear. Americans support the interim agreement with Iran,” Hart Research President Geoffrey Garin said on Tuesday, adding the deal enjoyed broad support that “spans across the electorate.”