In a post on Sunday, November 1, 2026, Tucker Carlson claimed that President Donald Trump could launch a nuclear attack on Iran within days. The conservative commentator pointed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alleging that he’s pushing hard for a nuclear strike against one of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
While there’s no way to substantiate Carlson’s claims, his claims of some kind of pressure campaign are corroborated by previous reporting. Axios recently claimed that Netanyahu pressed Trump in an October 31 phone call to strike once the midterms wrap, while the president allegedly wanted the ongoing talks to run their course.
The tunnel complex in question is near Natanz, a facility the U.S. already bombed in June 2025, under the Pickaxe Mountain. Trump has named the site himself. At a Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago, he told reporters “one or two sites” remained and could be handled in “10 minutes,” per CBS News. “You probably can look at Pickaxe Mountain,” he added.
Carlson’s case rests on how deep that mountain goes
In his tweet, Carlson argues that a 300-foot granite layer puts the tunnels beyond every conventional American bomb. “The only military option is a nuclear strike,” he wrote, warning of the inevitable fallout that might end up “poisoning the water supply for 100 million people.” That refers to Iran’s population, though Geo Factbook puts the figure at close to 94 million.
His source for the alleged lobbying is “an informed observer,” quoted as saying “Bibi calls Trump about it every day.” Carlson says he expects a decision by November 7, but described Trump as “hesitating,” with envoy Steve Witkoff and Vice President JD Vance making the case for a return to negotiations and a deal.
Trump had brushed off the idea of a nuclear attack in April, telling PBS News, “We don’t need it. Why do I need it?” And further added: “A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody.” But then, Trump has also repeatedly claimed the conflict wouldn’t last long.
DefSec Pete Hegseth, whom Carlson accuses of wanting major combat operations back on, faced that very question at a July 21 Senate hearing. When asked if the military could take out whatever sits under Pickaxe Mountain, he said that “if anybody in the world can reach anything on God’s green earth, it’s the United States military,” The Hill reported.
This new claim by Tucker Carlson comes amid continued military buildup by the United States in the Middle East (per The Jerusalem Post) for another possible round of air strikes against Iran.
Published: Nov 3, 2026 04:30 am