Carlson, Cruz Get in Shouting Match Over Iran

Tucker Carlson isn't just butting heads with President Trump about the possibility of US strikes against Iran. In an interview shared Wednesday, Carlson takes Sen. Ted Cruz to task, telling him, "You don't know anything about Iran!" Carlson had asked Cruz if he knew how many people lived in the country, which he said was "kind of relevant because you're calling for the overthrow of the government," per NBC News. "Why is it relevant whether it's 90 million, or 80 million, or 100 million?" asked Cruz. "Because you don't know anything about the country," replied Carlson, who then asked Cruz about Iran's ethnic makeup. "They are Persians and predominantly Shia," Cruz began before Carlson cut in.

"You don't know anything about Iran!" said Carlson. "You're a senator calling for the overthrow of the government and you don't know anything about the country." Carlson's clashes with Cruz and Trump underscore a split in the MAGA faction over US involvement in fighting between Israel and Iran. On Sunday, Cruz told Fox News, "It is very much in the interest of America to see regime change" in Iran, whose government wants to murder "millions of Americans" with nuclear weapons. But Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Republicans have argued US involvement in another foreign war would "put America last," not first.

"If you're calling for toppling a government, it's incumbent on you to know something about the country and to think through the consequences of that, and you haven't and you don't. And I'm saying that's reckless." Carlson told Cruz. "We should be very careful about entering into more foreign wars that don't help us when our country is dying." At one point, Cruz tried "to tie going after Iran to loyalty to Trump," noting the government's claims that Iran targeted Trump for assassination, per CNN. But he said he "would oppose invading Iran and putting boots on the ground to topple the government," unless "the risk got severe enough." In recent days, he's accused Carlson of "running interference" for Trump's would-be assassins, per CNN. (More Tucker Carlson stories.)