Tucker Carlson spars with Ted Cruz on Israel-Iran strikes: “You don’t know anything about Iran”

An interview between Tucker Carlson and Senator Ted Cruz about the Israel military campaign against Iran has become controversial when the host of the former Fox News host interviewed the Texas Republican about Iran – highlighting a flaw among the allies of President Trump.

The back and forth armed on the support of Cruz of Israeli strikes against Iranian targets. The Trump administration said that the United States is not directly involved in the offensive, but it has helped Israel defend itself against Iranian counterattacks, and Trump has weighed strikes on Iranian nuclear targets, CBS News previously reported.

Carlson – A vocal skeptic of the military intervention – questioned the premise to join a war with Iran and criticized Cruz for having said that he would like the Iranian regime to be overthrown, saying to Cruz at a given moment: “You do not know anything about Iran.”

One of the most controversial exchanges of the two -hour interview – which was released In whole, Wednesday, came when Carlson asked Cruz what the Iranian population is. Cruz said he was not sure.

“You do not know the population of the country you are looking to overthrow?” Asked Carlson.

“I don’t sit down to memorize population tables,” said Cruz.

The host then followed by questioning Cruz about the demography of Iran. When Cruz said they were Persians, mainly Shiite Muslims, Carlson asked him for the percentage, frustrating the Texas senator.

“Okay, I’m not the expert Tucker Carlson in Iran,” said Cruz.

The two Trump supporters also argued if Iran sought to assassinate Trump, who said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week. Federal last year announced accusations against an Iranian actor, accusing him of having plotted to kill Mr. Trump.

Cruz cited the alleged assassination plots while criticizing Iran’s management, but Carlson asked why the senator had not supported immediate American military action if Iran had tried to kill Mr. Trump.

Cruz, meanwhile, suggested that Carlson at some point has a “strange obsession … for Israel” when Carlson asked questions about the public affairs committee of Israel. Carlson said he had interpreted the comment as an accusation of anti -Semitism, which Cruz denied.

“You don’t know anything about the country you want to overthrow the government, and you call me reckless,” said Carlson at the end of the interview.

“I want to stop a madman who wants to assassinate us to get nuclear weapons that could kill millions of Americans. You say” I do not see in any way that it benefits America “. It’s weird,” replied Cruz.

The fight continued on social networks, with Cruz accusing Carlson to “play a” goat “on the population of Iran” and make fun of the question on the size of Iran.

The bitter exchange reflects a wider ditch between Mr. Trump’s donors on how the United States should enter the Israeli-Iran conflict. The president has long criticized foreign intervention, but also supported Iran’s pressure.

Trump’s closest advisers have not been out On the question of whether the president should strike Iranian nuclear installations, CBS News reported.

Some Republicans, in addition to Cruz, have supported A hard policy against Iran and are open in the United States which joins Israel in the strike of Iran. GOP Lindsey Graham senator from Southern Caroline told CBS News During the weekend, he would prefer a diplomatic resolution to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but if it fails, he urged Mr. Trump “to ensure everything that when this operation is over, Iran is not left for their nuclear program”.

During the interview, Cruz told Carlson that he did not argue to send American troops to Iran, but told journalists on Wednesday that the president “could reasonably make the decision” to bomb the underground nuclear site of Iran at the Ford.

But other Trump allies are wary of the intervention. The former Trump strategist, Steve Bannon, told Carlson in a interview He considers the “wars forever” as a basic maga principle, and suggested that participation in Iran could “explode the coalition” and harm Mr. Trump’s interior priorities. However, Bannon told journalists on Wednesday that he thought that “the vast majority of the Maga movement” would trust Mr. Trump’s judgment if he decided to strike the necessary Iran.

Meanwhile, a Handle of Congress Republicans called for a resolution preventing Mr. Trump from taking military measures on Iran without the approval of the congress.

We do not know how the president will take place, although he has minimized the idea of ​​an intra-maga rift on Iran on Wednesday, saying to journalists: “My supporters are more in love with me today, and I am in love with them.”

The President also deprived himself several times in Carlson on Monday, before the release of Cruz’s interview. The president called him “Kooky” in a Social truth To post, and seemed to make fun of Carlson on his ouster of Fox News.

“I don’t know what Tucker Carlson says,” Trump said. “Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.”