World News
Leaders in US, Israel, and Iran face severe domestic pressures six months into war
The conflict has triggered record-low approval ratings for President Trump, polling struggles for Prime Minister Netanyahu, and severe inflation in Iran.
The short version
- Six months after US-Israeli strikes killed Iran's supreme leader and initiated a wider war, political leaders in all three nations are grappling with major domestic fallout.
- US President Donald Trump faces a 50 percent spike in petrol prices and record-low approval ratings ahead of the November midterm elections, with less than a third of Americans supporting the conflict.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trailing in the polls amid criticism that the war failed to stop Iran's nuclear advances.
- While Iran's government has survived the conflict, the country is enduring massive economic strain, including 66 percent annual inflation and billions of dollars in war costs.
Key facts
- The US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28 with joint strikes on Tehran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iranian leaders.[Al Jazeera]
- US petrol prices have increased by 50 percent since the outbreak of the war, contributing to record-low approval ratings for President Donald Trump.[Al Jazeera]
- A recent Ipsos poll indicates that fewer than one in three Americans support the war, with critics alleging that Israel dragged the US into the conflict.[Al Jazeera]
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trailing in domestic polls, facing criticism that his focus on regime change failed to prevent Iran from advancing its nuclear capabilities.[Al Jazeera]
- Iran's government estimated that the war had cost its economy over $145 billion by April, with annual inflation reaching 66 percent in the month prior to the report.[Al Jazeera]
- Despite military actions and new US economic sanctions, highly enriched uranium remains in Iran, and the Strait of Hormuz remains essentially closed.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- It remains unclear if internal political divisions between Iranian hardliners and moderates will impact potential future negotiations with the United States.[Al Jazeera]