WarSclerotic

Poll: Opposition to Iran going nuclear widespread throughout world – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News.

At least 50 percent of people surveyed in U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic favor military action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits a nuclear facility. Photo by AP

By The Associated Press | May.18,2012 | 11:03 PM | 10

Opposition to Iran obtaining nuclear weapons is widespread around the world, including in neighboring countries Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, and support for tough economic sanctions is high, according to poll released Friday.

Support for military intervention to prevent Iran from going nuclear is more divided, the Pew Global Attitudes survey of 21 nations found. Among the countries polled, support was highest in the United States at 63 percent and lowest in Russia at 24 percent, while at least 50 percent of the people surveyed in Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic favored military action.

Greece and Turkey are the only NATO members where a majority of people surveyed either did not support military intervention, or had no opinion, though majorities in both countries oppose allowing the Islamic republic to obtain nuclear weapons.

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and aimed solely at producing nuclear energy. The U.S. and Israel suspect Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, but differences have emerged in how to persuade Tehran to curb its program.

The poll comes ahead of International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano’s visit to Tehran over the weekend to sign a deal meant to allow the UN agency to resume a long-stalled search for evidence that Iran worked on developing nuclear arms.

An IAEA statement announcing the Sunday trip said only that Amano would “discuss issues of mutual interest with high Iranian officials” during his one-day visit. But diplomats said the visit was scheduled to allow both sides to agree on an accord outlining the mechanics of IAEA access to sites, information and officials for its investigation into whether Iran secretly conducted nuclear weapons research and development. The diplomats demanded anonymity because their information was confidential.

Amano’s trip comes just four days ahead of a key meeting between six world powers and Iran where the six hope to wrest concessions from Tehran meant to ease concerns that it wants nuclear arms.

The Pew poll found that Iran’s actions in recent years have damaged its standing in the neighboring Sunni-majority countries of Egypt and Jordan, where favorability ratings are low, support for military intervention reached 50 percent and approval of strengthening economic sanctions is high.

But in Turkey, a major trade partner of Iran, a majority opposes toughening sanctions.

Pakistan had the highest support for Iran’s nuclear ambitions, at 50 percent. The poll found that the Shiite minority in Lebanon overwhelmingly supports Iran’s nuclear program – 73 percent – though a strong majority of the religiously divided Lebanese population opposes it. Iran is a majority Shiite country.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received highly negative ratings in Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Lebanon, though nearly half of Pakistanis viewed him favorably.

Four rounds of UN sanctions have failed to persuade Iran to halt its uranium enrichment, a process that has civilian uses but is also key to bomb-making. But recent U.S. and European measures, including an oil embargo and financial and banking sanctions, have bludgeoned Iran’s economy by curtailing its ability to carry on economic transactions with the international community.

The U.S. has plans in place to attack Iran if necessary to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, Washington’s envoy to Israel said Thursday.

Washington says diplomacy and economic sanctions must be given a chance to run its course, and is taking the lead in the ongoing talks between the six global powers and Iran.

The poll found that clear majorities of Americans of all political leanings – Republicans, Democrats and independents – support military action in Iran.

The survey of 26,210 people was conducted between March 17 and April 20 and has a margin of sampling error that ranged between plus or minus 3.2 and plus or minus 5.2 percentage points, depending on the country.

US Ready with Israel to Attack Iran, If Needed, posted with vodpod

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his skepticism Friday on the outcome of the next round of talks between Iran and the P5+1

Vodpod videos no longer available.

JERUSALEM, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his skepticism Friday on the outcome of the next round of talks between Iran and the P5+1 (U.S., U.K, China, Russia, France and Germany) that will take place in Baghdad. The first meeting took place last month in Istanbul.

The talks are meant to persuade Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment program, which Israel believes is intended for a nuclear weapons arsenal.

Netanyahu made the remarks on the sidelines of a state visit to the Czech Republic days before the second round of talks in Baghdad.

Click play for comments from CBN News Terrorism Analyst Erick Stakelbeck on whether the United States is really prepared to attack Iran.

“Obviously, nothing would be better than to see this issue resolved diplomatically. But I have seen no evidence that Iran is serious about stopping its nuclear weapons program. It looks as though they see these talks as another opportunity to devise and delay just like North Korea did for years,” Netanyahu said.

The U.S. is hoping the talks will succeed. Earlier this week, U.S. envoy to Israel Dan Shapiro told the Israeli Bar Association the U.S. is “ready” for a military option should it come to that.

“The necessary planning has been done to ensure that it’s ready,” Shapiro said, The Associated Press reported.

But Netanyahu said the Iranians could go from meeting to meeting making empty promises, even agreeing in principle, but not implement changes. Or they could agree to implement something as long as it does not “materially derail their nuclear weapons program.”

“Iran is good at playing this chess game,” Netanyahu continued. “They know that sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn to save the king.”

Netanyahu said the goal of the talks should be clear: freeze all uranium enrichment inside Iran; remove enriched material from Iran, and dismantle the nuclear facility at Qom.

“When this goal is achieved, I will be the first to applaud.  Until then, count me among the skeptics,” he said.