(JTA) — A majority of Iranians would support dismantling their country’s nuclear program in exchange for a full removal of sanctions against Iran, according to a survey by an Israeli university.
The poll of Iranian citizens, conducted in May and June by the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, found that 54 percent of respondents would support Iran dismantling its nuclear program in exchange for world powers lifting sanctions against Iran. Forty-five percent would support removing Iran’s capability to produce nuclear weapons in the future in exchange for lifting sanctions.
Iran is in talks with world powers, including the United States, to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of sanctions. The nuclear program is widely believed to be for military purposes, though Iran claims it is civilian in nature.
Approximately 40 percent of the poll’s 529 respondents said the United States was Iran’s greatest enemy, followed by Israel at nearly 32 percent. Nearly three-quarters of respondents, though, want Iran to establish diplomatic relations with the U.S., and 40 percent would support Iranian recognition of Israel if Israel withdraws from Palestinian territories and signs a peace deal with the Palestinians.
Thirty-five percent of the respondents viewed Syria as Iran’s greatest ally. Iran has been supporting the regime of President Bashar Assad in Syria’s civil war. Syria and Israel are technically in a state of war.
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