Poll Finds Most Americans Disapprove of Iran Prisoner Exchange

A majority of likely U.S. voters disagree with the Biden administration giving up $6 billion in frozen assets to Iran in exchange for five American prisoners, a poll released Monday revealed.

The poll by the conservative Senate Opportunity Fund found that 55% somewhat or strongly oppose the swap. The online national poll of 800 likely voters was conducted Tuesday through Thursday and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

Just 28% of respondents said they somewhat or strongly approved of the deal, while 17% said they did not know or had no opinion.

“Clearly, the poll indicates strong American concerns about such an agreement and the ramifications it may have,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, told The Washington Free Beacon. “In my view, this means Americans understand the move is self-defeating and will only enrich the Islamic Republic.”

The poll comes as the five Americans with dual Iranian citizenship freed by Iran landed in Qatar Monday on their way to the United States. Two of the five freed by the U.S. are on their way back to Tehran, while three decided not to return.

By political background, 75% of conservatives and 50% of moderates opposed the swap, while 51% of liberals approved of the deal. Only 17% of conservatives and 27% of moderates approved of the deal, while 27% of liberals disapproved.

The Biden administration announced the deal for the prisoner swap on Sept. 11, the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.