An unsubstantiated claim by far-right influencer Tucker Carlson that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressuring President Donald Trump to authorize a nuclear strike against Iran gained traction on Monday among prominent liberal figures on social media.

One such booster was Christiane Amanpour, the longtime chief international anchor of CNN, who reposted Carlson’s post on X with the caption, “This would be insane.”

The cross-ideological response to the post, which has garnered more than 45 million views, highlighted an unusual convergence between figures on the political right and prominent Trump critics on the left.

Other prominent Trump critics who reposted Carlson’s tweet include Drop Site News co-founder Ryan Grim, former congressional candidate and anti-Trump activist  George Conway and Hunter Biden.  

Carlson offered no evidence for the allegation in his post, which came amid heightened tensions between Washington, Jerusalem and Tehran. In the lengthy post, Carlson wrote, “Netanyahu is cornered and desperate,” adding, “Netanyahu must stay close to Trump. He needs this war.”

Citing an unnamed “informed observer,” Carlson alleged that “Bibi calls Trump about it every day.” He claimed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CENTCOM head Adm. Brad Cooper oppose a negotiated settlement with Iran and favor renewed large-scale military operations, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe are following Netanyahu’s lead.

Carlson asserted that no conventional weapon in the U.S. arsenal could penetrate the roughly 300 feet of granite shielding the underground tunnels at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain site, where he alleged uranium enrichment was currently taking place. He argued that a nuclear strike was the only remaining military option and claimed Netanyahu had been pressing Trump to authorize one.

In July, Trump said that the U.S. would strike Pickaxe Mountain “pretty soon.” 

Carlson also tied the alleged pressure campaign to Netanyahu’s political future, claiming the Israeli prime minister would be unable to form a government following last week’s election without Trump’s direct intervention to broker an agreement with other parties and secure a 61-seat Knesset majority. Without such assistance, Carlson predicted, Netanyahu would lose his premiership and potentially face criminal investigations and imprisonment.