Carlson to hawkish Cruz: You don’t know anything about Iran!

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
19 Jun 2025 00:37
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A fiery clash between Senator Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson over US involvement in "Israel’s" war on Iran has exposed a widening rift within Donald Trump’s MAGA base.

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Tucker Carlson's interview with US Senator Ted Cruz on June 17, 2025 (Screengrab)

Senator Ted Cruz and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson clashed in a fiery exchange over potential US military involvement in a war with Iran, highlighting a growing rift within Donald Trump’s MAGA base as the former president weighs joining "Israel’s" offensive.

In a preview of a nearly two-hour interview set to air today, Carlson, known for his anti-interventionist stance, grilled Cruz, a vocal Iran hawk, on his knowledge of the country he supports attacking.

“How many people live in Iran, by the way?” Carlson asked.

Cruz answered with "I don't know the population," before Carlson interrupted him and asked again, "At all?"

"No, I don't know the population," the Senator admitted, prompting Carlson to fire back, saying, “You don’t know the population you seek to topple?”

Maddened by Cruz's answers and ignorance about Iran, the commentator pressed him further with a question about "the ethnic mix of Iran," the answer of which enraged Carlson enough to announce, “You don’t know anything about Iran!”

#US Senator #TedCruz wants regime change in Iran, but can't name its population, gets basic facts wrong, and backtracks live on air. #TuckerCarlson presses him: “You don’t know the population of the country you seek to topple?”

Cruz then said, “We’re carrying out military… pic.twitter.com/OKITTKDtNc
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 18, 2025

This only underscores the ideological divide between pro-war Republicans and MAGA-aligned figures opposing another US entanglement in the Middle East.

The tension between Senator Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson intensified when Cruz asserted that the US was already conducting military strikes, only to later clarify that he meant logistical support for Israeli attacks, not direct American action.

"You just said ‘we’ were,” Carlson shot back. “This is high stakes. You’re a senator. If you’re saying the United States government is at war with Iran right now, people are listening.”

Deepening rift

The heated exchange underscored a deepening divide within Donald Trump’s MAGA coalition over possible US involvement in "Israel’s" war on Iran. While Trump has deployed additional military assets, including a second aircraft carrier and aerial refueling tankers, he has not yet ordered direct US strikes on Iran’s fortified nuclear facilities.

Although Trump’s leadership within the movement remains intact, the growing internal rift is testing his base. Prominent America First figures like Carlson, Steve Bannon, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene argue that intervention would betray Trump’s anti-war stance. On the other side, pro-"Israel" hawks, such as Cruz, Sen. Tom Cotton, and commentator Mark Levin, insist that the US force is justified to confront Iran, a regime they claim has targeted Trump personally.

Bannon has warned that military entanglement in the Middle East could derail Trump’s key domestic agenda, particularly mass deportations.

The internal divide over US involvement in "Israel’s" war with Iran has deepened, with President Trump publicly rebuking Tucker Carlson, calling him “kooky” and declaring "IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” after Carlson questioned military action.

Meanwhile, JD Vance, once skeptical of intervention, suggested Trump “may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment” as the president’s rhetoric has intensified, urging Tehran residents to evacuate and targeting Iran's Leader, albeit “not for now."