US commentator Tucker Carlson claimed late Sunday that the Trump administration could be days away from launching a nuclear strike on Iran, alleging that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressuring President Donald Trump to authorize an attack on a suspected nuclear site in central Iran.
In a lengthy post on the US social media company X, Carlson identified the potential target as Pickaxe Mountain, where Israeli intelligence allegedly believes Iran has resumed its nuclear enrichment program.
Carlson is a conservative political commentator and former Fox News host whose program, Tucker Carlson Tonight, aired from 2016 to 2023.
He now hosts an independent political show on X, where he regularly comments on US foreign policy and international affairs.
Carlson claimed conventional US weapons could not penetrate the estimated 300 feet of solid granite protecting underground tunnels at the site, leaving a nuclear strike as the only military option.
"Bibi (Netanyahu) calls Trump about it every day," Carlson quoted an unnamed informed observer as saying.
Carlson argued that Netanyahu's political survival is driving his push for further military action. He claimed Netanyahu needs Trump's intervention to secure a 61-seat majority in the Knesset following the latest election results, warning that otherwise he could lose power and face investigations and possible imprisonment.
He also alleged that Netanyahu has been pressing senior US officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper, to resume major combat operations.
Carlson also claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were following Netanyahu's lead.
He further said former President Barack Obama had also opposed the Iran peace agreement being drafted in Doha.
Fears of regional escalation
Carlson said US allies in the Middle East were increasingly concerned about renewed fighting. He claimed Netanyahu secretly traveled to Abu Dhabi on Sept. 27 to persuade the UAE to support a final attack on Iran, but Emirati officials refused.
Warning of the economic consequences, Carlson said eight months of conflict had severely affected Gulf economies, as well as global energy and fertilizer markets. He claimed 11 of the world's approximately 850 oil supertankers were badly damaged in the Strait of Hormuz in October alone.
He also warned that a nuclear explosion at Pickaxe Mountain could contaminate the Gulf and threaten the water supply of around 100 million people.
Carlson argued that a US nuclear strike could establish a dangerous precedent, potentially encouraging Russia to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, triggering renewed nuclear tensions between India and Pakistan, and prompting North Korea to attack Seoul.
"After the first nuclear strike, World War Three is inevitable. That war would be short and final," he wrote.
He further alleged that the Trump administration had quietly revised US nuclear doctrine since February to make the first use of so-called "battlefield nukes" easier and more likely.
Vance, Witkoff urge Trump to pursue diplomacy
Carlson said Trump could decide by Nov. 7 whether to authorize the use of nuclear weapons, adding that Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff were urging him to pursue a diplomatic agreement with Tehran.
Although acknowledging that negotiations would be difficult, Carlson said people who had spoken with Iranian decision-makers believed there was a consensus that further conflict would benefit no one and that an agreement was worth pursuing.
He concluded by warning that the consequences of a nuclear strike would extend far beyond Iran, arguing that the international public had been excluded from decisions that could threaten millions of lives.
"Now would be the time for them to speak up," Carlson wrote.
US could strike remaining Iranian nuclear sites 'within 10 minutes'
Carlson's claims follow Trump's remarks to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Saturday that one or two Iranian nuclear facilities remained potential targets and that the US could strike them within 10 minutes.
Trump specifically mentioned Pickaxe Mountain, saying he had military plans for the area, but did not indicate that a nuclear strike had been authorized.
"You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly," he added.
In an Oct. 16 interview with Newsmax, he explicitly ruled out using nuclear weapons against Iran.
Separately, Axios reported that Trump and Netanyahu held a tense phone call on Saturday, citing Israeli and US sources. According to the report, Netanyahu is pushing for renewed military action immediately after Tuesday's US midterm elections, while Trump prefers to allow diplomatic negotiations to continue.
A White House official said the administration does not comment on sensitive military plans, adding that Trump is keeping all options open to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Secretary of State Rubio has also said no final decision has been made on resuming strikes.
Iran, meanwhile, denies any nuclear activity at the Pickaxe Mountain complex. Its supreme leader has warned Washington and Tel Aviv against launching further attacks.
