US political commentator Tucker Carlson has claimed that President Donald Trump could face pressure to launch a nuclear strike against Iran within days, alleging that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging Washington to attack a suspected nuclear facility in central Iran.
In a lengthy post on the social media platform X on Sunday, Carlson identified the potential target as Pickaxe Mountain, where Israeli intelligence allegedly believes Iran has resumed its nuclear enrichment programme.
Carlson suggested that Netanyahu was pressing Trump to authorise military action against the site, arguing that conventional weapons might not be capable of penetrating the extensive underground facility.
However, Carlson’s claims have not been independently substantiated, and there has been no official announcement that the United States is considering or has authorised a nuclear strike against Iran.
Carlson’s Nuclear Strike Warning
Carlson, a conservative political commentator and former Fox News host, said conventional American weapons could struggle to penetrate the estimated 300 feet of solid granite protecting underground tunnels at Pickaxe Mountain.
He claimed that Netanyahu had been raising the possibility of further military action in repeated conversations with Trump.
Quoting an unnamed informed observer, Carlson wrote that Netanyahu was contacting the US president about the issue every day.
He also argued that Netanyahu’s political position was influencing his push for renewed military action. According to Carlson, the Israeli prime minister needs American support following the latest parliamentary election results to secure a governing majority and avoid losing power.
Carlson further alleged that Netanyahu had been lobbying senior US officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper, to resume major combat operations against Iran.
He also claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were following Netanyahu’s position.
These assertions were presented by Carlson as allegations and were not independently verified in the supplied report.
Regional and Global Consequences
Carlson warned that renewed fighting could have serious consequences for the Middle East and the global economy.
He claimed that US allies in the region were increasingly concerned about another escalation and alleged that Netanyahu had secretly travelled to Abu Dhabi on September 27 to seek support from the United Arab Emirates for another attack on Iran.
According to Carlson, Emirati officials declined to support the proposal.
He also said months of conflict had placed pressure on Gulf economies and affected global energy and fertiliser markets. He claimed that 11 of the world’s approximately 850 oil supertankers had been badly damaged in the Strait of Hormuz during October.
Carlson warned that a nuclear explosion at Pickaxe Mountain could cause widespread contamination and threaten water supplies serving around 100 million people in the Gulf region.
He also raised concerns about the potential international consequences of the first use of nuclear weapons in the conflict, suggesting it could encourage other countries to consider similar action.
In particular, he warned of possible nuclear escalation involving Russia and Ukraine, renewed tensions between India and Pakistan, and a potential North Korean attack on Seoul.
Carlson additionally alleged that the Trump administration had quietly revised US nuclear doctrine since February to make the first use of battlefield nuclear weapons easier. No supporting evidence for this allegation was provided in the report.
Trump Says Iran Sites Remain Potential Targets
Carlson’s warning followed remarks by Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Saturday.
The US president said one or two Iranian nuclear facilities remained potential targets and specifically mentioned Pickaxe Mountain.
Trump suggested that the military could strike the location quickly, but did not announce any authorisation for a nuclear attack.
He also ruled out using nuclear weapons against Iran during an October 16 interview with Newsmax.
A White House official said the administration did not comment on sensitive military plans, adding that Trump was keeping all options open to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said that no final decision has been made on resuming military strikes.
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 nuclear enrichment program. No conventional weapon in the American arsenal can penetrate 300 feet of solid granite to destroy the tunnels where enrichment is supposedly taking place. The only military option is a nuclear strike. Netanyahu has been pushing hard for one. “Bibi calls Trump about it every day,” says an informed observer.
Netanyahu is cornered and desperate. After last week’s election results, he can’t form a government unless Trump intervenes directly in Israeli politics and brokers a deal with other parties that gives Netanyahu 61 seats in the Knesset. Otherwise, he is out as prime minister and on his way to ignominy, investigations and possibly jail. Netanyahu must stay close to Trump. He needs this war.
To that end, he’s applied maximum pressure to his closest allies in the administration, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper. Both oppose a negotiated settlement to the war they’ve so grievously mismanaged; both are pushing to restart major combat operations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA director John Ratcliffe are also following Netanyahu’s lead, as are leaders of the Democratic Party. In a recent meeting on the subject, former president Barack Obama said he opposes the current Iran peace deal being drafted in Doha.
The rest of America’s longtime allies in the Middle East are terrified by the prospect of more war. On September 27th, Netanyahu flew secretly to Abu Dhabi to enlist the UAE in his lobbying effort for a final attack on Iran. The Emiratis refused. After eight months of conflict, Gulf economies are teetering. So are global energy and fertilizer markets. They won’t recover soon. Globally, there are a total of about 850 supertankers used to transport oil from producers to the rest of the world. In October alone, 11 of them were badly damaged in Hormuz. At this pace, a global depression is imminent. A nuclear strike would radically accelerate the destruction. Fallout from a ground explosion at Pickax Mountain would contaminate the Persian Gulf, poisoning the water supply for 100 million people.
And those are just some of the immediate consequences for the region. The rest of the world is every bit as exposed. No country other than the United States has ever used a nuclear weapon in war. Some would like to. An American nuclear attack on Iran would set a new precedent. The Russians have already told at least two other governments that an American nuclear strike on Iran would free them to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Pakistan and India would be tempted to do the same against each other, as would North Korea against Seoul. After the first nuclear strike, World War Three is inevitable. That war would be short and final.
We’ve been sleepwalking toward this moment for months. Since February, the administration has quietly rewritten America’s nuclear doctrine to make first use of so-called “battlefield nukes” easier and therefore more likely. No one in Washington in either party seems bothered by this. Now we’re on the brink of it.
Close observers say Trump is likely to decide by next weekend whether or not to use nuclear weapons. That would be November 7, six days from now. To his credit, he’s hesitating. At the moment, Trump is listening to his vice president, JD Vance, and to his envoy and friend Steve Witkoff, both of whom argue a deal with Iran can be made.
They’re right, though it won’t be simple. The Iranians are famously frustrating to negotiate with under any circumstances, and elements of that government have become more radical since Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family were killed in February. After decades of isolation, even relatively moderate Iranian leaders seem confused by how decisions are made in the West. (There is a widespread belief in Tehran, for example, that the United States government controls Israel.) But overall, people who have spoken to decision-makers in Iran say there is consensus there that more war is bad for everyone and a deal is worth making.
One group that hasn’t been consulted so far is the global population — the hundreds of millions of people who will be killed along with their children if Trump is pushed by Netanyahu into launching a nuclear strike next week. Now would be the time for them to speak up.
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) November 2, 2026
Vance and Witkoff Push for Diplomacy
Carlson said Vice President JD Vance and US special envoy Steve Witkoff were encouraging Trump to pursue a diplomatic agreement with Tehran rather than return to major military operations.
He argued that despite the difficulties facing negotiations, an agreement remained worth pursuing because further conflict would benefit neither side.
The commentator also claimed that Trump could face a decision on military action by November 7. However, no official confirmation of such a deadline was provided.
Meanwhile, diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran have continued through intermediaries, with Qatar playing a role in facilitating discussions.
Iran Says Doha Negotiations Are Continuing
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Tehran was not expecting a new US position after the American midterm elections.
He also rejected suggestions that Iranian negotiators had left Doha because of difficulties during the discussions.
Baghaei said communications with the United States had continued on Sunday and that Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi had been present in Doha to facilitate the process.
According to the spokesperson, a draft proposal was being circulated for feedback, while another meeting could take place as part of the diplomatic process.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has also said that Tehran is awaiting American responses to outstanding issues before an agreement can be reached.
Trump Favours Diplomacy Despite Netanyahu’s Pressure
A report by US news website Axios said Trump was prioritising diplomatic engagement with Iran despite Netanyahu’s calls for renewed military action after the US midterm elections.
According to American and Israeli sources familiar with the matter, Netanyahu pressed Washington during a telephone conversation on Saturday to resume strikes shortly after the November 3 vote.
An Israeli source described the discussion as tough, while an American source characterised it as direct.
Trump later confirmed that he had spoken with Netanyahu, describing the conversation as very good. He acknowledged that Iran had been discussed but did not provide further details.
Trump Favors Iran Diplomacy as Netanyahu Pushes for Post-Election Strikes
The US president also said negotiations with Tehran were progressing and that he was not in much of a hurry to resume military strikes.
The discussions reportedly included correspondence from Vice President JD Vance to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, concerning the possibility of restarting formal negotiations.
Qatari mediators have also been holding discussions with Iranian representatives to help bring the two sides back to direct talks.
The White House and Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the Axios report.
Vessel Reportedly Hit in Strait of Hormuz
Meanwhile, maritime security concerns continued after a vessel was reportedly struck by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said it had received information about a Mayday distress call relayed by the master of a merchant vessel over VHF Channel 16.
The notice listed the reported incident time as 8:09pm Pakistan time on November 1.
UKMTO advised vessels operating in the area to exercise caution and report suspicious activity while the incident was investigated.
The agency did not identify the vessel reportedly hit or provide details about casualties, damage or the origin of the projectile.
The incident has added to security concerns surrounding one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes as diplomatic efforts continue to prevent another escalation between the United States, Israel and Iran.
