A clear majority of respondents think the White House is right to pursue nuclear talks with Iran, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll, even if fewer than half think those negotiations will be successful.

Some 60 percent of respondents said they approved of the six-month agreement that went into effect on Jan. 20. But only 47 percent thought it “likely” or “somewhat likely” that international negotiations will end in a final deal that will stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon.

{mosads}Part of the respondents’ wariness appears to stem from a lack of trust in President Obama’s negotiating abilities: Only 42 percent approve of how the president is handling the Iran file, while 57 percent disapprove.

The poll comes amid heavy lobbying by pro-Israel groups for Congress to pass new sanctions that would kick in immediately if talks fail. The White House says passing such sanctions now could doom talks.

The poll involved online interviews with 1,060 adults. The survey has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points for all respondents.

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