On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched joint airstrikes on Iran, starting the 2026 Iran war. The strikes targeted Iranian officials, military commanders, and military assets, assassinating Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes against Israel, U.S. bases, and Arab countries in the Middle East, as well as closing the Strait of Hormuz.

Internationally, the war elicited reactions from governments, faith leaders and global governance bodies, as well as protests, unrest, and coverage from global media. Most countries did not take a definitive side in the conflict, but more countries opposed the US-Israeli attacks than supported them. Some US allies and partners, such as Canada, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Argentina, supported the attack, while others, such as France, Italy, Brazil and Turkey, expressed opposition. In the Middle East, most countries criticized the Iranian attacks. In Europe and Latin America, many countries condemned the US-Israeli attacks, and most condemned the Iranian retaliation. In Asia, many condemned the attacks or called for peace. The war provoked protests against it, as well as others in support of the Iranian opposition.

The war was unpopular in the United States, and increasingly so as it continued. A majority of Americans thought the decision to start the war was wrong, that the war had hurt US interests, and that it should end as soon as possible. By July, 58% of Americans opposed the war, and approval for Donald Trump had declined to an all-time low. The March 2026 No Kings protests were the largest civilian protests in American history, and The Economist named the war "America's least popular since polls began". Congress was divided on the issue of a War Powers Resolution, with the House in favor and the Senate opposed. More Americans thought the war was illegal under US and international law than legal.

Public opinion was opposed to the war in 30 countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas (including the US). Opposition to the war was 81% on average. The war led to a worldwide decline in the reputation of the United States and Israel, with the US reputation falling behind that of China in most countries. Israel was the only surveyed country where public opinion supported the war.

Opinion on the attacks was divided within Iran, with many Iranians mourning casualties and attending large public rallies in support of the government. Millions of Iranians and Iraqis and many international leaders and dignitaries attended the state funeral of Ali Khamenei. Others celebrated the attacks and expressed hope for regime change, particularly those within or affiliated with the exiled opposition. An anti-government uprising hoped for by the United States and Israel did not materialize, with some analysts saying that the attacks had bolstered the government's domestic popularity.

Public opinion

United States

Opinion polls showed that most Americans opposed the war from the outset. Support for the war declined from 40% on March 3 to 34% by July 18, according to polling aggregates, with the share of Americans opposed to the war increasing from 48% to 58% over the same period. Majorities of Americans thought that it was important to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, but said that it was the wrong decision to start the war, that the war was not worth fighting, that the war had hurt US interests, that the US should end its attacks, and that the war should end as soon as possible. A plurality of Americans said that the war was illegal under both US and international law.

In part a reaction to the war, the March 2026 No Kings protests were the largest civilian protests in American history. In July, The Economist named the Iran war "America's least popular since polls began". Approval for Donald Trump declined to a record low in July, with 37% approval and 60% disapproval by the end of September. Trump's foreign affairs approval declined from 39% in January to 29% in September, with approval for his handling of Iran at 26%. Opposition to the war remained high, with net support declining from -8% on March 3 to an all-time low of -27% on September 22.

A March 1 Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 43% of Americans opposed the war, 27% were supportive and 29% were uncertain. An NBC poll found 52% of registered voters were against military action, while 41% supported it. Polls showed splits along political and demographic lines. Most Republicans supported the action, while most Democrats and independents opposed it.

Most Americans believed that Trump had not properly explained the war's goals. A 22 March CBS poll of 3,335 American adults reported that 92% believed it was important for the conflict to end as quickly as possible, four in five said it was important to make sure the Iranian people were safe and free, 73% said it was important for the US to permanently end the Iranian nuclear program, 68% said it was important to stop Iran from posing a threat to other countries, and 53% said it would be unacceptable to end the war with the Islamic Republic still in power. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from 17 to 19 March 2026, found that 65% thought Trump would order a large-scale ground war in Iran, while only 7% supported such a move.

In an April 17–20 Economist-YouGov poll, more Americans agreed with Pope Leo XIV's comments against the war, by 48% to 28%, than with Trump and Vance. Atheists and agnostics were twice as likely to agree with him (80%) as Catholics or Protestants (42% and 39%, respectively).

In a July 8–13 Washington Post-Ipsos poll, 68% of Americans said the war had not been worth fighting, while 28% said it had. This assessment was worse than any Post poll during the 2003–2011 Iraq War, and equalling the worst on Afghanistan in July 2013. According to Post polling, strong approval for Trump dropped from 27% in February to 15% in July, and net approval from 45% to 37%, the first time across both Trump terms that a majority of approvers support him only "somewhat" rather than "strongly".

A July 12–15 Politico poll showed declining support for the war among Republican and MAGA voters. Between May and July, Republicans in favor of continuing the war even if it increases costs for Americans declined from 46% to 32%, while those in favor only if it does not increased from 28% to 37%, and those against the war under all circumstances increased from 14% to 21%. Among MAGA voters, the shares were 37%, 37% and 19%, respectively.

According to a July 10–13 Economist-YouGov poll, 55% think the US should not continue attacking Iran, and 27% think it should. 65% against 15% wanted to end the war "as quickly as possible", including 82% of Democrats (against 5%), 66% of independents (against 11%), and 47% of Republicans (against 29%).

In a July 17–19 University of Maryland poll, a majority of Americans (58% to 12%) thought the war had a more negative than positive impact on American interests. Pluralities of Americans believed the US and Israel had initiated the war illegally under international law (by 39% to 19%) and under US law (40% to 25%). 22% said the US should focus on making the Middle East entirely nuclear-free (including both Israel, which has already acquired nuclear weapons, and Iran), 21% on preventing Iran acquiring nuclear weapons by force if necessary, and 19% on preventing it without military force, while 10% said that a nuclear-armed Israel and Iran could deter each other.

In a July 20–24 CBS News/YouGov poll, 76% of Americans believed the war had been more challenging than the Trump administration anticipated.

The Center on Conscience & War reported that hotline callers opposed the Minab school attack and "dying for Israel". A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll of 4,505 Americans, taken five months into the U.S. war with Iran, shows that only 35% support the conflict, while 58% expect gasoline prices to rise compared to just 15% who anticipate improvement.

Two-third of American adults believe the war was not worth it.

A CNN poll on 2 March showed that 59% of Americans opposed the U.S. military action against Iran while 41% supported it. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 47% disapprove of the strikes while 27% approve of them. A CBS poll published on 22 March, which questioned 3,335 American adults, reported that 92% believe it's important for the conflict to end as quickly as possible, four in five said it was important to make sure the Iranian people were safe and free, 73% said it was important for the US to permanently end the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, 68% said it was important to stop Iran from posing a threat to other countries, and 53% said it would be unacceptable to end the war with the Islamic Republic still in power.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in March 2026 found that 65% of Americans believed President Donald Trump would order a large-scale ground war in Iran, though only 7% of respondents supported such a move.

An Associated Press-NORC poll conducted in July 2026 found that 64% of Americans did not see the war with Iran as worth fighting while 33% did. Iranian Americans A poll conducted by the National Iranian American Council, regarded as the Islamic Republic's lobby, found that 49.3% of Iranian-American respondents opposed the US-Israeli attack on Iran, while 48.9% supported it. A total of 61.6% supported diplomacy, while 35.4% opposed. A Zogby poll conducted from 24 to 27 March 2026 found that 66.1% of Iranian Americans opposed the war.

Iran

A holistic picture of civilian reactions in Iran is difficult to obtain due to the government's control over the circulation of information, the renewed internet blackout, and the ongoing heated nature of the war. After the initial strikes, both celebration and mourning at the killing of Iranian leaders was reported. No anti-government uprising followed.

Civilians expressed fear, grief and anger at the US–Israeli strikes, and at ensuing civilian casualties. BBC reported that most Iranians consider attacking civilian infrastructure unacceptable. Some civilians who had opposed the Islamic Republic and supported regime change later recoiled at the prolonged and violent nature of the war. A sociologist inside Iran said that the war was causing a rally around the flag effect.

Early pro-government rallies occurred in Yasuj, where crowds mourned Khamenei, and in Enqelab Square on 1 March. Others celebrated the attacks, expressing the hope that the events might weaken or topple the regime. Some celebrated the death of Khamenei. A 1 March 2026 video showed a crowd toppling a monument dedicated to Ruhollah Khomeini.

After Mojtaba Khamenei was named the next supreme leader, some Iranians chanted "Death to Mojtaba" from their windows in Tehran.

As of 15 March, only pro-government rallies appeared in Tehran's major squares. Many pro-government rallies followed, encouraged by authorities. According to BBC, no mass anti-government rallies took place, in part due to police warnings of consequences for "tak[-ing] action in the cities at the behest of the enemy".

During the 17 March Chaharshanbe Suri festivities ahead of the Nowruz holiday, many Iranians defied orders from the authorities and celebrated in the streets. Footage showed security forces firing gunshots to disperse crowds.

On the last Friday of Ramadan, thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran in support of Palestinians and condemning the attacks as part of Quds Day day. Many Iranian government figures were seen at the demonstrations, including Pezeshkian and Ali Larijani. Israel threatened to attack the area, but demonstrations still took place.

On 18 March, thousands of civilians joined a funeral procession for Larijani. Residents also cheered from their homes and celebrated with fireworks after Larijani's death.