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U.S. commentator Tucker Carlson claimed Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressuring U.S. President Donald Trump to launch a nuclear strike on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, an alleged underground enrichment site, and that Trump could decide by Nov. 7.
Carlson offered no evidence beyond an unnamed "informed observer," and there was no official confirmation from the White House, the Pentagon or Israel. Trump, for now, wants to let negotiations with Iran play out, Axios reported, citing U.S. and Israeli sources.
"Under pressure from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Trump administration may be within days of launching a nuclear strike on Iran," Carlson wrote on X. "‘Bibi calls Trump about it every day,’ says an informed observer."
Carlson claimed that no conventional U.S. weapon can penetrate the roughly 300 feet of granite protecting the tunnels at Pickaxe Mountain, leaving a nuclear strike as “the only military option.”
"Close observers say Trump is likely to decide by next weekend whether or not to use nuclear weapons," he wrote. "To his credit, he’s hesitating."
Carlson said Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff argue a deal with Iran can be made, and claimed Netanyahu, unable to form a government after last week’s election, "needs this war." He also claimed Netanyahu flew secretly to Abu Dhabi on Sept. 27 to seek Emirati support for an attack and was refused.
None of the claims could be independently verified.
Trump and Netanyahu held a candid call Saturday about U.S. talks with Iran and how quickly to return to combat, Axios reported. Netanyahu is pressing Trump to strike immediately after Tuesday’s midterm elections, the sources said. The Israeli source called the call "tough" while the U.S. source called it "direct."
Trump told reporters Saturday that negotiations were "going fine" and that he was not "in much of a hurry," but said the U.S. still had to "take care" of one or two Iranian nuclear sites.
"We can do that in 10 minutes. We have that planned. You can look at Pickaxe Mountain. We need to take care of that. We can do that very quickly," Trump said.
Qatari mediators met Iranian officials Sunday for a third consecutive day to restart direct U.S.-Iran negotiations.
"We are making every effort in this regard and hope that the other side will demonstrate enough rationality to choose diplomacy over other paths," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, adding there was no agreement yet.
The U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated against Israel and U.S. targets in the region before a ceasefire was reached in April.
The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on freedom of navigation in the strait on June 18, but implementation stalled over disagreements concerning security arrangements.
Carlson’s claims about Pickaxe Mountain come days before the U.S. midterms, as Washington weighs both diplomacy and renewed strikes.
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