# Former CIA officer alleges Trump is weighing nuclear strike on Iran site

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/trump-is-considering-nuclear-strike-on-iran-former-cia-agent-claims/
- Published: 2026-11-03T11:50:42+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T12:07:37+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16261459/donald-trump-nuclear-weapon-strike-iran-claim.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Americas, Government, Middle East, Politics, World

## Key points

- A former CIA officer alleges Trump is considering a nuclear strike on Iran.
- The claim is unverified and would represent a major escalation.
- Trump previously said nuclear weapons were unnecessary against Iran.

## Summary

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou claims Donald Trump is considering a tactical nuclear strike on Iran’s underground Pickaxe Mountain site, and says the aim could include making future presidents more willing to use nuclear weapons. The allegation is unverified and has been widely derided; if carried out, such a strike would mark a major escalation.

Kiriakou said he had heard the claim from contacts at the White House, while broadcaster Tucker Carlson separately said Trump might be close to ordering a strike. The article says conventional bunker-buster bombs have struggled to damage the deep underground facility, whose purpose remains unclear, and cites a 400-kiloton B61-11 as one possible weapon. Trump previously said there was no need to use nuclear weapons against Iran, and none have been used in war since the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.