US commentator Tucker Carlson has claimed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressuring the US government to launch a nuclear strike on a suspected Iranian nuclear site, warning that the administration could be days away from authorising an attack.
In a lengthy post on X late on Sunday, Carlson identified the potential target as Pickaxe Mountain, where Israeli intelligence allegedly believes Iran has resumed its nuclear enrichment programme.
Carlson, a conservative political commentator and former Fox News host, 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 alleged Netanyahu was pushing for further military action to secure his political survival, claiming the Israeli prime minister needs US President Donald Trump's intervention to secure a 61-seat majority in the Knesset following the latest election results.
He also alleged Netanyahu had pressed senior US officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper, to resume major military offensives, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were following his lead.
‘World War Three is inevitable’
Carlson claimed US allies in the Middle East were increasingly concerned about renewed fighting. He alleged Netanyahu secretly travelled to Abu Dhabi on September 27 to persuade the UAE to support a final attack on Iran, but Emirati officials refused.
He warned that eight months of conflict had severely affected Gulf economies and global energy and fertiliser markets. Carlson also claimed 11 of the world's approximately 850 oil supertankers were badly damaged in the Strait of Hormuz in October alone.
Carlson warned a nuclear explosion at Pickaxe Mountain could contaminate the Gulf and threaten the water supply of around 100 million people.
He argued a US nuclear strike could set a dangerous precedent, potentially encouraging Russia to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, reigniting 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.
Carlson further alleged 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 claimed Trump could decide by November 7 whether to authorise 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.
He 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.
Carlson concluded by warning that the consequences of a nuclear strike would extend far beyond Iran, arguing that the public had been excluded from decisions that could threaten millions of lives.
“Now would be the time for them to speak up,” he wrote.
Trump says remaining nuclear sites could be hit within 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 authorised.
“You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly,” he said.
In an October 16 interview with Newsmax, Trump 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.
Rubio has also said no final decision has been made on resuming strikes.
Iran denies any nuclear activity at the Pickaxe Mountain complex. Its supreme leader has warned Washington and Tel Aviv against launching further attacks.
