Tucker Carlson warns of possible US nuclear strike on Iran within days, accuses Netanyahu of pressing

Conservative American broadcaster Tucker Carlson, in a post on X on Monday, warned of the possibility that President Donald Trump's administration could direct a nuclear strike at Iran within days, saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is applying strong pressure on Washington to push it to carry out the attack.

Carlson said the potential target is a facility known as "Pickaxe Mountain" in central Iran, and added that Israeli intelligence indicates Tehran has resumed uranium enrichment activities inside very heavily fortified tunnels at the site. He said the facility lies beneath rock layers about 300 feet (more than 90 meters) thick, and claimed that conventional U.S. weapons are unable to destroy it, making a nuclear weapon the only military option in his assessment.

Carlson quoted a source he described as well-informed as saying Netanyahu calls President Trump daily to urge him to carry out the strike, noting the possibility that Trump could make a decision on the matter by November 7.

Carlson added that Trump remains hesitant about the military option, and that he is listening to Vice President J.D. Vance and his envoy Steve Witkoff, who see the possibility of reaching an agreement with Iran despite the difficulties of negotiations.

Carlson also warned that the use of a nuclear weapon could cause wide-scale radioactive contamination threatening the waters of the Gulf, and could open the door to the use of similar weapons in other international conflicts, saying the repercussions of such a step could extend beyond the Middle East.

Carlson's warning coincided with media reports citing two U.S. and Israeli sources that Netanyahu pressed Trump during a phone call on Saturday to resume strikes against Iran as soon as the U.S. midterm congressional elections conclude, while the U.S. president appeared inclined to give diplomatic efforts some time.

Trump had hinted on Saturday at targeting the "Pickaxe Mountain" facility, saying U.S. forces were capable of striking it quickly, but he told Reuters on October 16 that he did not see a need to use a nuclear weapon against Iran, ruling out resorting to it.

The mountain facility is located near the Natanz nuclear complex about 225 kilometers south of Tehran, and experts estimate that parts of it extend to depths ranging between 80 and 100 meters underground, making it a military challenge to target with conventional munitions.

According to The Associated Press, the International Atomic Energy Agency has been unable to inspect the facility, and there is no confirmed information about the nature of activities taking place inside it, while Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

These warnings are escalating amid a war ongoing since last February between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, with mediation efforts led by Qatar to revive negotiations and contain the confrontation that has affected navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and global energy markets.