By Muhammad Abubakar
Prominent conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson sparked intense global reaction after publishing a lengthy essay alleging that the U.S. administration is facing pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to consider a nuclear strike against an underground Iranian target.
In a detailed piece released over the weekend, Carlson claimed U.S. officials are weighing an attack on Pickax Mountain—a reinforced facility in central Iran where Israeli intelligence allegedly contends uranium enrichment operations have resumed. Carlson argued that conventional U.S. bunker-busting munitions cannot penetrate the 300 feet of solid granite shielding the complex, leaving a nuclear option as the primary military alternative.
According to Carlson, the push for military action is tied to Israeli domestic politics. He asserted that Prime Minister Netanyahu faces political jeopardy following recent Israeli elections and requires ongoing U.S. military backing to preserve his coalition. The essay named several high-ranking U.S. defense and diplomatic figures, claiming some key officials favor resuming major combat operations over diplomatic efforts.
Carlson issued stark warnings regarding the potential economic and ecological fallout of such an attack. Pointing to severe disruptions in global energy markets and recent damage to commercial oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, he claimed a surface-burst nuclear strike in central Iran could trigger widespread fallout, threatening Persian Gulf water supplies for up to 100 million people. He further argued that an American nuclear strike would dismantle global non-proliferation norms, risking escalations in other active conflict zones including Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula.
Despite the dire forecast, Carlson noted that decision-makers within the administration remain divided. He wrote that key advisers, including Vice President JD Vance and diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff, are urging caution and advocating for a negotiated diplomatic settlement with Tehran. Carlson indicated that a final determination regarding military or diplomatic action could come as early as Nov. 7.
U.S. officials have not confirmed the specific military scenarios detailed in Carlson’s essay. Administration representatives reiterated that Washington maintains a range of options regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities but declined to comment on confidential operational planning. Tehran has repeatedly denied carrying out covert enrichment activity at the Pickax Mountain site.