A new report by Policy Exchange, a leading think tank based in the United Kingdom (UK), titled Worlds Apart, British Muslim Attitudes on the Iran Conflict, finds that recent developments in the Middle East are being interpreted very differently by Muslims in the UK compared to the wider public.

The research, conducted by British Polling Council member JL Partners, surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2 223 UK adults alongside an additional 1 031 Muslims. Fieldwork was conducted between 2 and 13 March 2026 using an online panel. Respondents were asked about their views on military strikes in Iran, UK foreign policy, and broader geopolitical attitudes.

The results point to a clear divergence. While 14% of the general population believe Iran was not a significant threat prior to the US-Israel airstrikes, that figure rises to 45% among British Muslims. British Muslims are also more likely to attribute the strikes to attempts to gain control of oil supplies, at 40%, compared to 15% of the general population, and are far more likely to regard the strikes as definitively wrong, at 50% versus 17%.

The differences extend beyond the immediate conflict. The report finds that 39% of British Muslims hold a favourable view of Iran, compared to just 8% of the wider public. Attitudes towards the United States (US) remain relatively subdued across the board, with 23% of the general population expressing favourable views and 40% unfavourable, but British Muslims display comparatively warmer views towards Iran than towards the US, Israel, or Saudi Arabia.

A similar pattern is evident in perceptions of other global powers. While only 8% of the wider UK population view Russia favourably, this rises to 29% among British Muslims. For China, favourable views increase from 15% among the general population to 38% among British Muslims.

The report suggests these differences may reflect a broader scepticism towards Western geopolitics. While British Muslims are younger on average than the general population, the data indicate that these attitudes are not confined to younger cohorts, with stronger scepticism and divergence present across age groups.