Poll: Shadow of Distrust Looms Over Second Round of Tehran–Washington Talks

DID Press: The results of a new survey conducted by DID Press Agency regarding the second round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States indicate that public sentiment is largely shaped by pessimism about a swift outcome to the talks.

The data show that a significant portion of respondents view the trajectory of negotiations as heading not toward an agreement, but toward either a deadlock or prolonged, attritional discussions.

Overall Survey Breakdown

1. Failure of negotiations due to U.S. excessive demands – 42 percent.
   This option received the highest share of votes, suggesting that a large segment of the public sees the primary obstacle as stemming from the US side. This perspective reflects deep-seated distrust toward Washington’s intentions and approach.
   
2. Continuation of talks without an immediate agreement – 36 percent.
   This figure is also notable, indicating that nearly 80% of participants believe the negotiations between Iran and the US will not result in a short-term agreement. This perception may be rooted in the unsuccessful experiences of past negotiations and the technical and political complexities surrounding the nuclear progragram.
   
3. Achieving a phased agreement with reciprocal concessions – 8 percent.
   A smaller group considers it possible that both sides may move toward a step-by-step agreement model—an approach that has been proposed repeatedly in recent years but has never been fully implemented.
   
4. Lifting a significant portion of sanctions in Iran’s favor – 11 percent.
   The lowest level of optimism is reflected in this “major deal” scenario. The figure suggests that the public does not expect the negotiations to quickly lead to the removal of broad U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Conclusion
The overall distribution of responses indicates that public opinion has become more cautious, skeptical, and realistic than ever before. The majority not only do not expect an immediate agreement, but also consider the possibility of negotiation failure to be high. This situation may carry an important message for policymakers: public trust in the diplomatic process is fragile, and any tangible progress will require transparency, careful management of expectations, and a reduction in political tensions.