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Most Americans believe Iran war will drag on, gas cost will rise: Poll

By Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
A projectile is fired during what the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said was a third round of strikes this week against Iran, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 11, 2026.
A projectile is fired during what the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said was a third round of strikes this week against Iran, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 11, 2026. U.S. Central Command, via REUTER USA TODAY Network, Reuters

A majority of Americans expect the Iran war to drag on for a long period of time, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday, July 13.

The new poll showed that 79% of respondents believe that U.S. military actions in Iran will "go on for an extended period of time." On the other hand, only 18% of respondents believe the war will "end pretty quickly ​in a matter of weeks."

U.S. military involvement in Iran remains unpopular with Americans, as only 37% of respondents in the latest poll said they approved of the strikes. About half of Americans believe the war has not been worth the costs, the poll also showed.

The poll surveyed 1,019 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of 4%, according to Reuters/Ipsos.

The poll comes the same day as the United States launched a new round of strikes on Iran on Monday, marking the third consecutive day of attacks.

Earlier on Monday, Trump said the United States is reinstating a naval blockade on Iran and would act as a "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway. He added that America would charge countries a fee of 20% of the value of all cargo shipped to cover "any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World."

Higher gas prices

Monday's poll also showed that Americans aren't optimistic about gas prices in the future, with 60% of respondents saying they expect increases over the next year as a direct result of the Iran war.

According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of gas stands at $3.87, a 19-cent drop from a month ago but a 72-cent increase from July 2025. In the markets, oil prices spiked again as Brent crude futures, a market benchmark, were up $2.39, or about 3%, to $78.40.

USA TODAY's Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy and Daniel de Visé contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Most Americans believe Iran war will drag on, gas cost will rise: Poll

Reporting by Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Smoke rises at an unknown location, following what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 11, 2026.
Smoke rises at an unknown location, following what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 11, 2026. U.S. Central Command, via REUTER USA TODAY Network, Reuters

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 7:57 PM.

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