Majority of Europeans back attack on Iran - poll

A slim majority of Europeans would back attacks on Iran as a last resort to stop it acquiring a nuclear bomb, according to a poll released yesterday.

Asked to comment on the statement "we must stop countries like Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, even if that means taking military action", 52 per cent said they agreed, with 40 per cent against.

A majority agreed with the statement in 18 EU states including France and Britain while a majority was against it in nine others, including Germany and Spain.

Support was highest in Denmark (68 per cent) and fell to 37 per cent in Slovakia, the poll by France's TNS-Sofres showed.

Iran has repeatedly rejected suspicions it wants to make an atomic bomb in a years-long dispute with the West over a nuclear programme it says is intended purely for electricity. The UN Security Council last month agreed new sanctions against Iran.

The survey of more than 17,000 Europeans conducted last month for London-based think-tank Open Europe appeared to confirm findings of a poll last year that showed many in the West were ready to back military action if other avenues failed.

Europeans differed more on the threat to their country from Islamic fundamentalism.

While 58 per cent on average agreed it was a serious threat, the span ranged from 71 per cent in Britain - where 52 people were killed in suicide attacks by Islamists in London in July 2005 - to 24 per cent in Latvia.