‘You don’t know the population?’ Carlson grills Cruz on Iran; conservative rift deepens

A preview of Wednesday’s Tucker Carlson Show shows a fiery on-air argument between conservative host Tucker Carlson and Republican Senator Ted Cruz. The two clashed over US involvement in the ongoing Israel–Iran conflict, at one point shouting over each other. Cruz, who recently told Fox News it was “very much in the interest of America to see regime change” in Iran, faced sharp questions from Carlson.. “How many people live in Iran by the way?” Carlson asked. “I don’t know the population,” Cruz replied. “You don’t know the population of the country you seek to topple?” Carlson pressed. “I don’t sit around memorising population tables,” Cruz shot back. “Well, it’s kinda relevant because you’re calling for the overthrow of the government,” Carlson responded. Their exchange grew more tense as they debated the ethnic makeup of Iran. “I am not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran!” Cruz shouted.Carlson replied, “No you’re a senator who is calling to overthrow the country and you don’t know anything about the country!” Cruz accused Carlson of not knowing much either: “You're the one who claims they’re not trying to murder Donald Trump.” Carlson denied making such a claim and said he doubted Cruz believed that Iran was trying to assassinate Trump—arguing that if Cruz truly believed that, he would be pushing for direct US strikes. Cruz is one of several lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, who support a more active US role in the conflict. Tucker Carlson has also turned against his former network and Donald Trump over their stance on the Iran–Israel conflict. Speaking on Steve Bannon’s War Room recently, Carlson accused Fox News of pushing propaganda to promote military escalation. “What they are doing is what they always do—turning up the propaganda hose to full blast and trying to knock elderly Fox viewers off their feet,” he said. Carlson criticised Trump directly, saying the US president had become “complicit in an act of war” following Israel’s missile strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. When asked about Carlson’s remarks during the G7 summit, Trump dismissed him with a jab: “I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.” Israel launched a major offensive against Iran last Thursday, striking its nuclear sites and top military leadership. The attacks damaged key infrastructure and killed several nuclear scientists. Iran responded with missile strikes of its own, escalating tensions further. US president Donald Trump is now said to be considering a direct strike on Iran’s underground nuclear facility in Fordow, as regional tensions continue to rise.