US-Iran war: Will Trump launch a nuclear strike against Tehran under pressure from Netanyahu? | What Tucker Carlson Claimed | Today’s news
US conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson claimed in a social media post on Sunday (local time) that US President Donald Trump’s administration, which is reportedly facing pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could launch a nuclear attack on Iran. He said the target would be Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran.
In a lengthy post on X, Carlson wrote: “The target would be Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran, where Israeli intelligence says the Iranian government has restarted its nuclear enrichment program. No conventional weapon in the US arsenal can penetrate 300 feet of solid granite to destroy the tunnels where the enrichment is said to be taking place. The only military option is a nuclear attack. Netanyahu has been pushed hard.”
Citing an informed observer, Carlson wrote: “Bibi calls Trump every day about this.” He also said that Trump will likely decide whether to use nuclear weapons by next weekend. Citing observers, he noted that the US president was hesitating and listening to Vice President JD Vance and his envoy Steve Witkoff, who both said a deal with Tehran was likely.
Trump threatens Iran again
Carlson’s warning comes as Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran in recent days, including his latest threat on Sunday. At a campaign rally, the US president threatened to renew strikes against Tehran, adding that he may have to “give the hammer” to the country at an unspecified time.
He made the remarks at a rally in Iowa ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections, saying: “And the only reason I’m not done with Iran is because I want to be nice. I want to try to save all those lives if I can…But at some point we’re going to have to give them the hammer.”
In October, Trump again warned against bombing Iran. Addressing reporters in Washington, he said: “Do you really think I’m going to tell you if I’m going to do it?” adding, “And there’s a chance I’ll do it. There’s also a chance we’ll have a nice, big, beautiful deal.”
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He continued, “I could have done the B2 bomber thing a year ago and walked away,” adding that the problem is that within a year, a year and a half or two years, Iran would somehow figure out a way to make a nuclear bomb. He continued, “I have to make it permanent, and that’s the only reason I’m doing it as long as I’m doing it.”
Netanyahu is ‘backed and desperate’
According to Carlson, the pressure comes from Tel Aviv after Netanyahu lost the election last week. He described the Israeli prime minister as “driven and desperate.” He added that Netanyahu cannot form a government unless the US president intervenes directly in the country’s politics and negotiates an agreement with other parties to get Netanyahu’s bloc 61 seats in the Knesset.
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He went on to say that if Netanyahu is not returned to power, “he is out as prime minister and on his way to disgrace, investigation and possibly prison. Netanyahu needs to stay close to Trump. He needs this war.”
Carlson claimed that the Israeli prime minister is pressuring some of his closest allies in the Trump administration, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper, who both oppose a negotiated settlement of the war and are pushing for the resumption of major combat operations. He also claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe are following Netanyahu’s lead, along with some Democratic Party leaders. Carlson added that during a recent meeting, former President Barack Obama said he opposed the current peace deal with Iran being written in Doha, Qatar.
American allies in the Middle East fear new strikes?
Carlson argued that Washington’s longtime allies in the Middle East fear further escalation. He said Netanyahu secretly visited Abu Dhabi on September 27 to ask for UAE support for a final strike on Iran, but Emirati leaders rejected the appeal.
According to Carlson, eight months of fighting have severely weakened Gulf economies and disrupted global energy and fertilizer markets with little prospect of a quick recovery. He claimed that 11 of the world’s roughly 850 supertankers carrying oil suffered serious damage in the Strait of Hormuz in October alone and warned that continued losses could trigger a global depression.
He also warned that a nuclear attack would deepen the crisis and argued that radioactive fallout from a ground-level explosion at Mount Pickaxe could contaminate the Persian Gulf and threaten water supplies serving 100 million people.
While Carlson’s claims remain unverified, it remains to be seen whether Trump will decide to attack Iran after the US midterm elections, or whether the two sides will eventually come to an agreement.
