Experts doubt Carlson’s unsupported claim of an imminent US nuclear strike on Iran

Tucker Carlson has claimed, without providing evidence, that Donald Trump could be close to ordering a nuclear strike on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain facility. Military and non-proliferation experts quoted in the article largely doubt the claim, while warning that any nuclear attack could breach international law, break a long-standing taboo and carry severe regional and global consequences.

Trump has said he may restart military operations against Iran, named Pickaxe Mountain as a possible target, and previously ruled out using nuclear weapons. The site is reportedly buried beneath about 300 feet of rock; Iran denies nuclear activity there, and it was not hit in the two previous wars. Experts say a US president can order a nuclear strike without first consulting advisers, but assessments cited by one expert indicate no enrichment or weapons work is under way at the site; a proposed low-yield bunker-buster does not currently exist.