Thursday, March 28th | 18 Adar II 5784

Subscribe
June 19, 2015 11:23 am
9

Ahead of Nuclear Deal Deadline, Poll Shows P5+1 Countries Harbor Very Negative Attitudes Toward Iran

× [contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]

avatar by Eliezer Sherman

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani. Photo: Screenshot.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani. Photo: Screenshot.

Not a single one of the world powers negotiating a deal to lift international sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program held  a favorable view of the Islamic Republic, quite the contrary, the results of a Pew Research Center poll released on Thursday showed the majority of people in these countries continued to view Iran in a negative light.

More than three quarters of U.S. respondents (76 percent) viewed Iran unfavorably, according to the poll, which was released about a week and a half shy of the deadline for the nuclear deal.

In France, Germany and the U.K., the European powers part of the so-called P5+1 group for nuclear talks, opinions were even more negative, at 81%, 71% and 62%, respectively.

Even in Russia and China, which many see as more keen to strike a nuclear deal, unfavorable views of Iran prevailed, at 44% compared to 34% favorable in Russia, and 61% perceiving Iran in an unfavorable light in China.

The unfavorable view among P5+1 countries reflected a global trend, in which Pakistan was the only nation polled where the majority of respondents (57%) held a favorable view of the country.

Globally, a median 58% of respondents showed an unfavorable view of the Islamic Republic, despite a push by ostensibly more moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani since his election two years ago to paint the country in a more positive light. Rouhani himself received low scores across the Middle East.

In Israel, a country Iran has called to “wipe off the map,” a full nine out of ten respondents said they viewed Iran unfavorably; only 5% viewed the Islamic Republic in a favorable light.

And while results were slightly more tempered elsewhere in the Middle East — save Jordan, where fully 89% viewed Iran negatively — the results were still skewed towards disfavor. In Turkey, for example. 64% saw Iran unfavorably, while in Lebanon the number was 58% and in the Palestinian territories, 57%.

Interestingly in Lebanon, opinions fell along religious lines, with nine out of ten Shia Muslims showing favorable attitudes towards Iran.

Share this Story: Share On Facebook Share On Twitter

Let your voice be heard!

Join the Algemeiner

Algemeiner.com

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.