Commentator Tucker Carlson has claimed that the US could be days away from a nuclear strike on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, under pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
What The Post Says
In a long post on X on Monday, Carlson wrote: "Under pressure from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Trump administration may be within days of launching a nuclear strike on Iran."
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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.
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— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) November 2, 2026
He said the target would be Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran, where "Israeli intelligence claims the Iranian government has restarted its nuclear enrichment program".
Carlson argued that no conventional US weapon can reach tunnels buried under 300 feet of granite, adding: "The only military option is a nuclear strike." He quoted an unnamed "informed observer" as saying: "Bibi calls Trump about it every day."
ALSO READ | 'Can Do That In 10 Mins': Trump Renews Threat To Strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain
He also wrote that Trump is likely to decide by November 7, though he credited the president with "hesitating".
What Is Known
Pickaxe Mountain is not a new target. It is a deeply fortified underground site near Iran's Natanz enrichment complex that Trump has repeatedly said could be struck. Trump said in recent weeks that the US could hit it "very soon" if it detects activity there.
Trump has spoken of conventional action. Speaking on Saturday, he said the site could be dealt with "very quickly", without mentioning nuclear weapons.
Axios reported that Trump and Netanyahu held a candid call on Saturday. Its sources said Netanyahu wants strikes immediately after Tuesday's US midterm elections, while Trump prefers to let negotiations play out.
ALSO READ | 'I Want To Be Nice': Trump Signals Possible Fresh US Strikes On Iran, Discusses Move With Israel's Netanyahu
The Official Line
Trump has said he is in no hurry, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said no decision has been made on new strikes. The White House has also said previously that it does not comment on sensitive military plans.
Diplomacy Still Running
Carlson wrote that Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff, who both argue that a deal is possible, currently have Trump's ear. Vance recently wrote to Iran's national security chief, and that Qatari mediators met Iranian officials for a third straight day on Sunday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said there was no agreement yet and that a deal depends on Washington answering Tehran's questions.
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