The conservative commentator claims Benjamin Netanyahu is pressuring the White House to consider nuclear weapons against an Iranian facility, as diplomatic efforts continue in Doha.
Conservative American commentator Tucker Carlson has issued an extraordinary warning that U.S. President Donald Trump could be days away from authorising a nuclear strike against Iran, alleging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is lobbying Washington to escalate the conflict.
In a lengthy post on X, Carlson claimed the Trump administration was considering an attack on a heavily fortified Iranian nuclear facility known as Pickax Mountain, where Israeli intelligence reportedly believes uranium enrichment activities have resumed.
Carlson alleged the facility was protected by approximately 300 feet of solid granite, making it impossible for conventional American weapons to destroy its underground infrastructure.
He claimed Netanyahu was pushing Trump to consider nuclear weapons as a result.
The allegations have not been independently verified, and there has been no public confirmation that the White House is preparing or considering a nuclear strike.
https://x.com/TuckerCarlson/status/2117071025955389828
Pressure from Netanyahu
Carlson claimed Netanyahu was personally lobbying Trump to authorise military action, citing an unnamed observer who alleged the Israeli leader was contacting the president daily.
The commentator also suggested Netanyahu’s political difficulties following recent Israeli election results were influencing his approach to the conflict.
Carlson alleged that senior administration figures, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and U.S. Central Command chief Brad Cooper, were supporting renewed military operations.
He contrasted their reported positions with those of Vice President JD Vance and presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, whom he described as favouring continued negotiations.
These claims about private administration discussions and individual officials’ positions have not been independently substantiated.
Carlson suggested Trump could make a decision by November 7, although he provided no documentary evidence establishing that deadline.
Nuclear escalation
The former Fox News host warned that an American nuclear attack could trigger devastating consequences across the Middle East and potentially encourage other nuclear-armed countries to use their weapons.
Carlson argued that radioactive contamination from an underground nuclear explosion could threaten water supplies across the Persian Gulf.
He also claimed Russia had privately indicated that an American nuclear strike against Iran could change its calculations regarding nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Neither claim has been independently confirmed.
Carlson further warned that a nuclear strike could accelerate instability in global energy markets, already affected by months of regional conflict and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
His predictions of a wider nuclear war represent his assessment of the risks rather than an established outcome.
Diplomatic talks
The warning comes amid reports that Netanyahu is pressing Trump to resume military action against Iran following the U.S. midterm elections.
According to reporting attributed to Axios, Washington and Tehran remain divided over the conditions required to restart negotiations.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said Tehran would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz or enter formal negotiations until Washington met seven conditions.
Those demands reportedly include lifting the U.S. naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian funds and allowing Iranian oil exports to resume.
Qatari mediators have been facilitating discussions between the two countries, with Iranian and Qatari officials holding extensive talks in Tehran and Doha.
Rubio said over the weekend that Trump had not decided whether to resume military operations and that Washington remained open to diplomacy.
Meanwhile, reports from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post indicate Vance has approached Rezaei about a possible negotiated settlement.
Central obstacle
Iran’s nuclear programme remains at the centre of the dispute.
Washington is seeking guarantees that Tehran will not develop nuclear weapons, while Iranian officials insist the country retains rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Rezaei said Iran had made no decision to change its nuclear doctrine despite growing domestic pressure following attacks on nuclear facilities.
Carlson concluded his warning by urging international opposition to any potential nuclear attack.
The coming days could prove critical for negotiations, although there remains no independently verified evidence supporting Carlson’s claim that an American nuclear strike is imminent.
ibuted to Axios, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, as supplied in the background material. Carlson’s allegations about nuclear strike planning have not been independently verified
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