Is Netanyahu pushing Trump to launch nuclear strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections on Nov. 3?

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson has claimed that the US administration may be just days away from launching a nuclear strike on Iran. Carlson, a former Fox News host, claimed that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressurizing President Donald Trump to attack a nuclear site located in central Iran.

'Bibi calls Trump every day'

In a post on X, Carlson said the potential target was Pickaxe Mountain, a site where the Israeli intelligence reportedly believes that Iran has resumed its nuclear enrichment program. "Bibi (Netanyahu) calls Trump about it every day," Carlson quoted an unnamed source as telling him.


The commentator further said that Netanyahu has been putting pressure on senior US officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper, to resume major offensive against Iran.

Trump hinted at attacking Iran

Carlson's claims come after Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida Saturday that one or two Iranian nuclear facilities remained potential targets for the US.

The president added that the American military could hit them within a matter of minutes. But Trump did not mention anything about a nuclear attack in those remarks. In an interview with Newsmax on Oct. 16, Trump had ruled out using nuclear weapons against Iran.

Trump-Netanyahu phone call

Axios has reported that Trump and Netanyahu had a rather tense phone call on Saturday, citing unnamed US and Israeli sources.

According to the report, Netanyahu was pushing for renewed military action immediately after the US midterm elections, due to take place on Tuesday (Nov. 3). It added that Trump wanted to allow diplomatic negotiations to continue for the time being.

Also recently, Vice President JD Vance had sent a letter to Iran's national security chief Mohsen Rezaei about the possibility of restarting peace negotiations.

US Secretary of State Rubio also said that no final decision had been made regarding resumption of strikes on Iran.

Iran denies any nuclear activity at the Pickaxe Mountain, with supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei warning Washington and Tel Aviv against any future attacks. The war in Iran has been ongoing since Trump and Netanyahu launched joint strikes on Tehran in late-February, killing former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.