Trump could launch nuclear strike on Iran within days, claims Tucker Carlson

Warns a nuclear explosion at Pickaxe Mountain can contaminate the Gulf, threaten water supply of 100 million people

US commentator Tucker Carlson claimed on Sunday that the Trump administration could be days away from launching a nuclear strike on Iran, alleging that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressuring President Donald Trump to authorise an attack on a suspected nuclear site in central Iran.

In a lengthy post on X, Carlson identified the potential target as Pickaxe Mountain, where Israeli intelligence allegedly believed Iran had resumed its nuclear enrichment program.

Carlson is a conservative political commentator and former Fox News host whose program, Tucker Carlson Tonight, aired from 2016 to 2023.

Under pressure from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Trump administration may be within days of launching a nuclear strike on Iran. The target would be Pickax Mountain in central Iran, where Israeli intelligence claims the Iranian government has restarted its…

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) November 2, 2026

He now hosts an independent political show on X, where he regularly comments on US foreign policy and international affairs.

Carlson 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.

Read: Trump says US will strike reported Iranian nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain 'very heavily'

"Bibi (Netanyahu) calls Trump about it every day," Carlson quoted an unnamed informed observer as saying.

Carlson argued that Netanyahu's political survival was driving his push for further military action. He claimed Netanyahu needs Trump's intervention to secure a 61-seat majority in the Knesset following the latest election results, warning that otherwise he could lose power and face investigations and possible imprisonment.

He also alleged that Netanyahu has been pressing senior US officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Central Command chief Adm Brad Cooper, to resume major combat operations.

Carlson also claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were following Netanyahu's lead.

He further said former president Barack Obama had also opposed the Iran peace agreement being drafted in Doha.

Fears of regional escalation

Carlson said US allies in the Middle East were increasingly concerned about renewed fighting. He claimed Netanyahu secretly travelled to Abu Dhabi on September 27 to persuade the UAE to support a final attack on Iran, but Emirati officials refused.

Warning of the economic consequences, Carlson said eight months of conflict had severely affected Gulf economies, as well as global energy and fertiliser markets. He claimed 11 of the world's approximately 850 oil supertankers were badly damaged in the Strait of Hormuz in October alone.

He also warned that a nuclear explosion at Pickaxe Mountain could contaminate the Gulf and threaten the water supply of around 100 million people.

Carlson argued that a US nuclear strike could establish a dangerous precedent, potentially encouraging Russia to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, triggering renewed 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.

BIG: Tucker Carlson says Trump may decide by Nov. 7 on a nuclear strike on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain under Netanyahu’s pressure.

“After the first nuclear strike, World War Three is inevitable,” Carlson wrote.https://t.co/h0UMiAa1YH

— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 2, 2026

He further alleged that 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 said 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.

Although acknowledging that negotiations would be difficult, Carlson 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.

He concluded by warning that the consequences of a nuclear strike would extend far beyond Iran, arguing that the international public had been excluded from decisions that could threaten millions of lives.

"Now would be the time for them to speak up," Carlson wrote.

US could strike remaining Iranian nuclear sites 'within 10 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.

US President Donald Trump says American forces have destroyed much of Iran's naval, air defense and military capabilities, along with its nuclear infrastructure. He says one or two sites remain, including Pickaxe Mountain, and asserts that the US could destroy them in just 10… pic.twitter.com/RNI2WP5xcM

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) November 1, 2026

Trump specifically mentioned Pickaxe Mountain, saying he had military plans for the area, but did not indicate that a nuclear strike had been authorised.

Read More: What is Pickaxe Mountain, the Iranian nuclear-linked site threatened by Trump?

"You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly," he added.

In an October 16 interview with Newsmax, he 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.

Netanyahu is pressing Trump to resume strikes on Iran immediately after Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections, but Trump wants to give diplomacy more time.

The two held a tense phone call Saturday, described as “tough” by an Israeli source and “direct” by a U.S. source.

Source:… pic.twitter.com/Ux1PREksnD

— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 1, 2026

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.

Secretary of State Rubio has also said no final decision has been made on resuming strikes.

Iran, meanwhile, denies any nuclear activity at the Pickaxe Mountain complex. Its supreme leader has warned Washington and Tel Aviv against launching further attacks.