Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz Clash Over Iran and Israel

Tucker Carlson and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) engaged in a heated debate regarding support for President Trump and their views on Israel amidst rising tensions with Iran on Tuesday.

During a clip from an interview set to air in full on Wednesday, Carlson quizzed Cruz about Iran’s demographics. When Cruz couldn’t provide the information Carlson was after, the host expressed disbelief over the senator’s lack of knowledge about the “country you’re trying to defeat.”

“How many people live in Iran?” Carlson questioned.

“I don’t know the population,” Cruz admitted.

“At all?” Carlson pressed.

“No, I don’t know the population,” Cruz reiterated.

Carlson shot back, “Do you know the population of the country you are about to defeat?”

When Cruz turned the question back to Carlson, the journalist quickly responded, “92 million people,” before adding, “Why don’t you know that?”

“I don’t sit around memorizing population figures,” Cruz explained.

The discussion intensified as Carlson insisted knowing the statistics was crucial to understanding the motivations behind potential government upheaval.

“Why does it matter if it’s 90 million, 80 million, or 100 million?” Cruz countered, defending his stance against Carlson’s claim that he was uninformed about Iran.

Carlson then posed another question: “What is the ethnic breakdown of Iran?”

Cruz described the country as predominantly Persian and “mainly Shiite,” but when Carlson pressed for percentages, their debate grew louder.

“Okay, this is cute,” Cruz said as Carlson interrupted him, claiming, “You don’t know anything about Iran.”

“So, I’m not an expert on Tucker Carlson in Iran,” Cruz shot back.

Carlson, raising his voice, asserted, “You’re a senator asking for government change, yet you know nothing about the country.”

“No, you know nothing about this country,” Cruz replied. He challenged Carlson’s ability to make judgments on military actions, mentioning Carlson’s reluctance to support targeting General Soleimani.

Carlson rebutted, stating, “No, I’m not saying that. I don’t believe they’re trying to kill Trump.”

“Yes, you are,” Cruz exclaimed.

Carlson then clarified, “You’re not advocating for military retaliation,” which prompted Cruz to assert, “I am for a military strike today.”

Carlson interrupted, asking Cruz to acknowledge collective responsibility: “You said Israel is.” This highlighted Cruz’s support for Israel’s military actions but underlined how Israel’s situation was tense.

“You just said it was ‘we,'” Carlson noted. “This is crucial. You’re a senator. If the US government claims it’s at war with Iran, people will listen.”

Oka reached out to Cruz’s office for further comments.

Known for his support of the presidency, Carlson found himself in disagreement with Trump regarding the best strategies in the Middle East. Following Israel’s missile strike on Iran last week, Carlson characterized Trump’s actions as a dangerous escalation, warning that the implications of these decisions were far-reaching.

For years, Carlson has criticized Republican leaders and diplomats advocating military actions in the region, calling them “warmongers” recently and expressing concerns over unnecessary conflicts.

Last week, he stated, “There is no real divide between those who support Israel and those who support Iran and Palestinians. The true divide is between those who promote violence and those who seek to prevent it.”

In response, Trump remarked, “I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is talking about. Get a TV network and tell people to listen.”

On Monday, the president further labeled Carlson as “kooky Carlson,” stating emphatically that “Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.”