Washington: Most Iranians favour restored ties with Washington after three decades of hostility but distrust President Barack Obama despite his outreach to Muslims worldwide, a poll has found.
Eight in 10 Iranians also say they consider President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be the country`s legitimate President despite mass protests following the disputed June 12 vote, according to the survey by WorldPublicOpinion.org (WPO).
Sixty-three percent of the 1,003 people surveyed across Iran favoured restoring diplomatic relations with the US, a position at odds with the stance taken by Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Of those in favour of restoring ties, 18 percent said they would "strongly" back the move. Only 27 percent said they were opposed.
Another 60 percent of Iranians surveyed said they supported "full, unconditional negotiations" between Washington and Tehran, while 30 percent were opposed.
But despite Obama`s outreach to Muslims around the world, only 25 percent of those surveyed believe he respects Islam, while 59 percent said he does not.
Seventy-one percent said they have little or no confidence that Obama will do "the right thing" in his handling of world affairs.
The telephone survey was conducted by native Farsi speakers who interviewed respondents from outside Iran between August 27 and September 10. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
Bureau Report
