Forty-two percent (42%) of Americans say that if Israel launches an attack against Iran, the United States should help Israel. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 46% believe the United States should do nothing while just 1% believe the U.S. should help Iran.

A separate survey released last week showed that 78% of Americans believe it’s likely that Iran will soon develop nuclear weapons. Only 43% believe it’s possible for the U.S. to prevent that development.

Most Republicans say the U.S. should help Israel while most Democrats and unaffiliated voters say the U.S. should do nothing.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of all voters say that preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons is more important than preventing war between Iran and Israel. Republicans overwhelmingly hold this view while Democrats are evenly divided. Among unaffiliated voters, 50% say that stopping Iran’s nuclear program is more important while 29% say

Just 8% believe the Iranian government’s claim that its nuclear enrichment program is to generate energy, not weapons. A Rasmussen Reports survey last month found 45% of likely voters agreed with Obama that it was a good idea for the U.S. president to meet with the leader of Iran, but 59% said the meeting should not take place until Iran stops developing nuclear weapons.

Iran boasted recently that it had launched several new missiles, including one capable of striking Israel, but the video of the purported launchings was later proven to be a fake. A Rasmussen Reports survey following the so-called missile launchings found that 71% of voters viewed Iran as a serious threat to the United States and 46% felt American should intervene militarily if Iran attacked Israel.

Forty-seven percent (47%) of voters believe it is at least somewhat likely Iran will try to provoke some form of attack before November in an attempt to influence the U.S. elections.

Thirty-three percent (33%) believe it is at least somewhat likely that the U.S. will attack Iran before the elections. That figure includes 11% who say a U.S. attack is very likely.

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