Carlson claims Netanyahu is pressing Trump for nuclear strike on Iran

Far-right commentator Tucker Carlson claimed on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressing US President Donald Trump to launch a nuclear attack on Iran within days. His lengthy post on X came amid reports of a possible return to fighting after months of relative calm, but he did not explain why renewed hostilities would entail a nuclear strike.

Carlson identified Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran as the potential target, alleging that Israeli intelligence believed Iran had resumed uranium enrichment there. He asserted that conventional American weapons could not reach tunnels beneath 300 feet of granite and presented a nuclear attack as the only military option. Citing an unnamed observer, he also alleged that Netanyahu was calling Trump daily about such a strike.

The commentator linked his allegation to Netanyahu’s political position following the loss of his governing majority in the previous week’s election. Carlson claimed the prime minister needed Trump to intervene in Israeli politics to help him form a government, and argued that Netanyahu’s need for American support was driving him toward another war.

Carlson predicted that radioactive fallout would contaminate the Persian Gulf and threaten the water supply of 100 million people. He further claimed that an American nuclear attack would encourage other countries to use nuclear weapons and inevitably trigger a world war, killing hundreds of millions. By Monday evening in Israel, his post had received more than 60 million views. Social media users noted that he had made similar predictions of an imminent US nuclear attack on Iran several times since April.

Western intelligence has identified Pickaxe Mountain as a likely storage location for nuclear material. The United States has not struck the site during the war. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Trump singled it out as a possible target should attacks resume, saying, “You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that.”

Trump’s earlier public comments, however, rejected the use of a nuclear weapon against Iran. When a reporter asked in September whether he had ruled out that option, Trump answered that he had. He said there was no reason to use such a weapon and argued that Iran had already been defeated militarily.

Israel and the United States began their joint military campaign on February 28, seeking to destabilize Iran’s government and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region, including against Israel, and blockaded the Strait of Hormuz. The blockade disrupted oil shipments and unsettled the global economy. The conflict has remained at a stalemate for months, while negotiations on a lasting ceasefire and Iran’s nuclear program have stalled.

Carlson has previously clashed with the White House over his account of the war. In May, it accused him of spreading false information after he told an Israeli television station that Netanyahu had drawn the United States into the conflict. His rhetoric about Israel has also prompted criticism from former conservative allies, and his podcast has hosted avowed antisemites, including Nick Fuentes.