Nearly 80% of Americans believe the United States will be engaged in a prolonged military conflict with Iran, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released as U.S. military operations against the Islamic Republic continue to expand.

The three-day survey, which concluded Sunday, found that 79% of respondents expect the conflict to last for an extended period, a sharp increase from 65% who held that view in late March.

Only 18% of those surveyed said they believe the conflict will end quickly, within a few weeks. The poll also found that 37% of respondents support the U.S. military strikes against Iran, which Washington resumed in response to what it says were Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Reuters/Ipsos survey included 1,019 adults nationwide and has a margin of error of approximately four percentage points.

Meanwhile, U.S. military operations against Iran continued overnight. U.S. Central Command announced it carried out another five-hour wave of strikes targeting Iranian military sites across the country.

According to CENTCOM, the strikes hit military targets in Bushehr, Chabahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas. The targets included coastal defense systems, missile sites, drone facilities, and other military infrastructure.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)