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Tucker Carlson Claims Trump Could Order a Nuclear Strike on Iran Within Days

Tucker Carlson’s X post saying Trump may be days from a nuclear strike on Iran passed 12 million views. His key claims come from unnamed sources, and the White House says it doesn’t comment on military plans.

By

Mike Wayne

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Tucker Carlson speaking at AmericaFest 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona

Photo by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA)

The Lowdown

Tucker Carlson posted a long message on X on Sunday night claiming the Trump administration “may be within days of launching a nuclear strike on Iran,” under pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The post passed 12 million views overnight. Its biggest claims rest on unnamed “observers,” and no other outlet has reported that nuclear weapons are under consideration (@TuckerCarlson on X).

Key Takeaways

  • Carlson claims the target would be Pickax Mountain, an Iranian site buried deep underground, and says only a nuclear weapon could destroy it (@TuckerCarlson on X).
  • He claims, citing “close observers,” that President Trump will likely decide by Nov. 7 and is listening to Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff, who favor a deal (@TuckerCarlson on X).
  • The post had more than 12 million views and 120,000 likes by early Monday (@TuckerCarlson on X).
  • Asked about strike reports last week, a White House official said the administration doesn’t comment on “sensitive military plans that may or may not exist” and that Trump “keeps all options on the table” (VOA).
  • Separately, Axios reported that Trump and Netanyahu had a tense call Saturday about Iran, while talks with Iranian officials continue in Doha (Axios; Al Jazeera).

The Story

Carlson’s post reads like a warning. He claims Netanyahu “has been pushing hard” for a nuclear strike, and quotes an unnamed “informed observer” as saying, “Bibi calls Trump about it every day.” He argues that Netanyahu, after last week’s Israeli election, “needs this war” to stay in power (@TuckerCarlson on X).

He also names names. Carlson claims Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper are pushing to restart major combat operations, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe are “following Netanyahu’s lead.” He claims former President Barack Obama said in a meeting that he opposes the peace deal being drafted in Doha. He offers no sourcing for those claims beyond his own reporting (@TuckerCarlson on X).

Carlson goes on to claim that Russia has told “at least two other governments” that a U.S. nuclear strike on Iran would free it to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, and that the administration has “quietly rewritten” U.S. nuclear doctrine since February. He ends by calling on people around the world to “speak up” (@TuckerCarlson on X).

What’s verified and what isn’t

Backed by other reporting: The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began in February, and Iranian state media confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (Reuters). Pickax Mountain, near Natanz, is buried at least 100 meters deep, and Israel believes Iran moved nuclear material there. Iran denies any nuclear work at the site (CNN). Netanyahu did make a secret trip to Abu Dhabi on Sept. 27 (Reuters). A Reuters review of shipping data found 11 very large crude carriers were damaged in October (Al-Monitor). Talks mediated by Qatar are ongoing (Al Jazeera).

Partly supported: The Pentagon is reportedly reviewing its nuclear employment guidance to expand “limited” options, according to arms-control experts, but no new public doctrine has been announced (Arms Control Association). Axios reported Netanyahu is pressing for strikes soon after the U.S. midterms and that Trump wants to give negotiations more time. It didn’t report that nuclear weapons are being considered (Axios).

Single-sourced or unverified: The Nov. 7 decision date, the claim that a nuclear strike is being weighed at all, the positions Carlson assigns to Hegseth, Cooper, Rubio and Ratcliffe, the “every day” calls, the Russian warnings, Obama’s comments in a meeting, the claim that the Emiratis refused Netanyahu, and the claim that Khamenei’s family was killed with him all come from Carlson and his unnamed sources. PCP couldn’t independently confirm them. Carlson also puts the global supertanker fleet at about 850; industry counts are above 900.

Official responses: The White House hasn’t responded directly to Carlson’s post. Its most recent statement on strike reports, to VOA, said it does not comment on military plans and that Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon (VOA). The White House and Netanyahu’s office declined to comment to Axios on the Trump-Netanyahu call (Axios).

The Background

Carlson, the former Fox News host who now runs the Tucker Carlson Network, has been one of the loudest voices on the right against the war with Iran. On Saturday, Trump said negotiations were “going fine” but “not very reliable,” and that the U.S. military still needed to “take care of” several Iranian sites, including Pickaxe Mountain. He added that he was not in a hurry. Rubio said of the Doha process, “Talks have actually never stopped” (Al Jazeera).

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Tucker Carlson

Tucker Carlson

Political Commentator · Talk Show Host

Tucker Carlson is an American conservative political commentator and talk show host. He hosted Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News from 2016 to 2023 and now runs the Tucker Carlson Network.

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