A tense showdown unfolded between Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Tucker Carlson during an in-person appearance on Carlson’s show airing Wednesday on X, with the popular conservative host taking the senator to task over his hawkish stance on Iran. The exchange was as fiery as any in recent memory, reigniting questions within the conservative base about U.S. foreign policy priorities under President Donald J. Trump’s second term.

Carlson, who has consistently warned against American entanglement in endless foreign wars, challenged Cruz’s push for deeper U.S. involvement in Israel’s military campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Cruz, echoing neoconservative rhetoric, openly backed Israeli strikes and even entertained regime change in Tehran — a position that Carlson dismantled point-by-point during their confrontation.

Carlson Grills Cruz on Basic Knowledge of Iran

The tension erupted when Carlson asked Cruz a simple but telling question:

CARLSON: “How many people are living in Iran, by the way?”
CRUZ: “I don’t know the population.”
CARLSON: “You don’t know the population of the country you seek to topple?”

CRUZ: “I don’t sit around memorizing population tables.”
CARLSON: “Well, it’s kind of relevant because you’re calling for the overthrow of the government.”

Carlson revealed that Iran has roughly 92 million people, a point that underscored Cruz’s lack of preparation.

When Carlson pressed Cruz further on Iran’s ethnic makeup, Cruz admitted they are “Persians and predominantly Shia,” but could not offer specifics.

CRUZ: “Ok, this is cute.”
CARLSON: “You don’t know anything about Iran... You’re a senator who’s calling for the overthrow of the government and you don’t know anything about the country!”

Back-and-Forth Turns Combative

The clash escalated as Cruz defended military pressure on Iran, claiming the U.S. is already supporting Israeli strikes. Carlson fired back, noting that the National Security Council under President Trump had explicitly denied U.S. involvement in offensive actions.

CRUZ: “Israel is leading them, but we’re supporting them.”
CARLSON: “If you’re saying the United States government is at war with Iran right now, people are listening.”

Carlson’s criticism wasn’t just about facts — it was about principles. He pointed out the moral and strategic recklessness of advocating war without understanding the target. The moment resonated with Trump’s America First movement, which remains staunchly skeptical of foreign entanglements pushed by establishment Republicans.

The confrontation reveals a growing divide inside the Republican Party between pro-war legacy hawks and a resurgent populist right that demands restraint, accountability, and a focus on protecting American interests — not acting as the world’s police force.

Senator Cruz has previously aligned with more interventionist policies, but that worldview is increasingly being rejected by President Trump’s grassroots supporters, who elected him to end wars, not start new ones.

President Trump, returning early from the G7 summit in Canada, met with his National Security Council Tuesday evening to assess the situation in the Middle East. While Israeli strikes against Iranian air defense and nuclear facilities continued into Wednesday, the Trump administration has not committed U.S. troops to the conflict.