58% of Americans Uncertain as Iran War Drags Beyond Expectations

A new CBS News poll shows most Americans view the US-Iran war with uncertainty and frustration, and a big majority expects the conflict to last months or even years longer.

The survey, conducted July 22-24, found 58% of respondents described their personal feelings about the war as "uncertain," while 57% picked "frustrated." Only 19% were "optimistic." The poll reflects a conflict that has re-escalated after a spring ceasefire, with US air strikes resuming on Iran for 13 consecutive nights through Thursday.

Seventy-six percent of those polled said the war has been harder than the Trump administration anticipated. That perception aligns with the public's sense of the timeline: 37% said the conflict could last months, 21% said years, and 33% were not sure. Only 9% thought the war would end in days or weeks.

A preference for ending the war remains the majority view, CBS News reported. That sentiment is stronger among younger adults, with those aged 18 to 29 far more likely to favor an end than people over 65. Among the one-third of respondents who want the US to press for more concessions from Iran, the stated goals have been consistent since the conflict began: reopening the Strait of Hormuz, stopping Iran's nuclear program, and preventing the Islamic Republic from threatening the region.

Americans also reported they still do not feel they understand what is happening day to day in the Strait of Hormuz. Sixty percent said President Trump makes things "sound better than they are," the poll found.

Perceptions of who holds the military advantage have shifted only slightly. Forty percent now say the US has the upper hand, up from May. Thirty-eight percent said neither side has the advantage. Views on how the war is going have ticked down over time.

Monday brought a pause in the fighting. Iran and the United States held their fire, giving Gulf shipping and oil markets a respite from missile strikes, AFP reported. US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told Fox News Sunday that Trump was "giving talks some space," while forces remained "locked and loaded." Iran's army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said Tehran had stopped retaliatory attacks against Washington's allies in the Middle East because "our strategy has essentially been retaliatory."

The lull followed 13 consecutive nights of US air strikes on Iran, the largest rekindling of the conflict since an April ceasefire. Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights passed without bombing, Waltz confirmed.

The outlook for a negotiated settlement remains uncertain. The CBS poll asked respondents about how much longer the war might last, and a combined 58% said months or years. The ceasefire in April did not hold, and the pause this week could prove similarly fragile, depending on the outcome of the talks Trump's envoy referenced.