US-Iran war: Trump to launch nuclear strike against Tehran amid pressure from Netanyahu? | What Tucker Carlson claimed

American conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson claimed in a social media post on Sunday (local time) that US President Donald Trump’s administration, reportedly facing pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, might launch a nuclear strike 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 claims the Iranian government has restarted its nuclear enrichment program. No conventional weapon in the American arsenal can penetrate 300 feet of solid granite to destroy the tunnels where enrichment is supposedly taking place. The only military option is a nuclear strike. Netanyahu has been pushing hard for one.”

Citing an informed observer, Carlson wrote, “Bibi calls Trump about it every day.” He further said that Trump is likely to decide by next weekend whether to use nuclear weapons. Citing observers, he noted that the US President is hesitating and listening to Vice President JD Vance and his envoy Steve Witkoff, both of whom have argued that a deal with Tehran is likely.

Trump renews threats against Iran

Carlson’s warning comes as Trump has renewed threats to attack Iran in recent days, including his latest threat on Sunday. At a campaign rally, the US President threatened to resume strikes against Tehran, adding that he might have to give the country “the hammer” at some unspecified time.

He made these remarks at a rally in Iowa ahead of the US midterm elections, scheduled for 3 November, and said, “And the only reason why I’m not finished with Iran is I want to be nice. I want to try and save all those lives if I can…But at some point we’re going to have to give them the hammer.”

In October, Trump renewed his warnings about 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?” and added, “And there’s a possibility I will. There’s also a possibility we’ll have a nice, big, beautiful agreement.”

He continued, “I could have done the B2 bomber thing a year ago and left,” and added that the problem was that, over the course of a year, a year and a half or two years, Iran would somehow have figured out a way to make a nuclear bomb. He continued, “I have to make it permanent, and that’s the only reason I am doing it as long as I am doing.”

Netanyahu is ‘cornered and desperate’

According to Carlson, the pressure from Tel Aviv comes after Netanyahu lost the elections last week. He described the Israeli PM as “cornered and desperate.” He added that Netanyahu cannot form a government unless the US President intervenes directly in the country’s politics and brokers a deal with other parties to bring Netanyahu’s bloc to 61 seats in the Knesset.

He continued that unless Netanyahu returns to power, “he is out as prime minister and on his way to ignominy, investigations, and possibly jail. Netanyahu must stay close to Trump. He needs this war.”

Carlson claimed that the Israeli PM is pressuring some of his closest allies in the Trump administration, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper, both of whom oppose a negotiated settlement to the war and are pushing to resume 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 leaders of the Democratic Party. Carlson added that, during a recent meeting, former President Barack Obama said he opposed the current peace deal with Iran being drafted in Doha, Qatar.

US allies in the Middle East worried about fresh strikes?

Carlson claimed that Washington’s longstanding allies in the Middle East fear another escalation. He said Netanyahu secretly visited Abu Dhabi on September 27 to seek the UAE’s support for a final assault 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 fertiliser markets, with little prospect of a quick recovery. He claimed that 11 of the world’s roughly 850 oil-carrying supertankers suffered serious damage in the Strait of Hormuz in October alone, warning that continued losses could trigger a global depression.

He also warned that a nuclear attack would deepen the crisis, claiming that radioactive fallout from a ground-level blast at Pickaxe Mountain 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 finally reach an agreement.