Unverified rumors regarding a potential United States nuclear strike against Iran originated from political commentator Tucker Carlson, Nettavisen reported.
Although the rumors are considered highly improbable and stem from an unreliable source, the topic of nuclear weapons is so severe that it demands serious risk assessment regarding potential consequences.
The destructive impact of the U.S. use of atomic weapons against Japan in World War II established a unique global taboo that has prevented their use ever since.
During the Cold War, any use of even a small tactical nuclear weapon would have triggered an escalation that could have obliterated the planet, forcing conflicts to remain conventional through proxy wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was "composition"—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win. And despite polls that showed a Democrat blowout, the data kept on telling us the same story: in some states turnout was…
The circulation of rumors suggesting Donald Trump desires to use nuclear weapons against Iran carries immense potential consequences. Beyond the catastrophic impact on Iranian civilians, such an action would shatter the existing nuclear taboo and exponentially increase the danger of future atomic wars. Similar strong international reactions occurred when Russia and Vladimir Putin hinted at or threatened nuclear weapon use in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump stated in a 20-minute telephone interview with CNN that it is highly unlikely he will need to order a new war against Iran, provided there is progress in negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz. Trump repeated five times during the interview that a new war would not be necessary, pointing to Iran as a nation experiencing high inflation.
However, Trump added new threats, stating that if necessary, skal vi slå til dem hardt
(we are going to hit them hard
). He stated that the U.S. has identified new potential targets in Iran, including 38 bridges som vi kan slå ut på bokstavelig talt en time
(that we can knock out in literally one hour
).
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi stated on Iranian television that no negotiations have taken place since the midterm elections where Trump lost, noting that it will take time before circumstances allow mediators to resume travel.