Key facts
- Tucker Carlson claims Israel initiated the war on Iran to achieve regional hegemony.
- Carlson stated Israel sought to weaken Gulf states and remove US bases from the region.
- Carlson told Donald Trump that Israel's objective was regional hegemony.
- Carlson believes Israel sees GCC economic development as a threat.
- Carlson claims Iran has fired thousands of missiles and drones at GCC states since the US-Israeli air campaign began.
- At least 228 buildings or pieces of equipment at US military sites have been damaged or destroyed since the war started.
US commentator Tucker Carlson has asserted that Israel initiated the war on Iran with the strategic aim of weakening Gulf states and facilitating its own regional hegemony. In an interview with Going Underground, Carlson argued that Israel sought to expand its borders, undermine Iran and its allies like Hezbollah and Hamas, and diminish the influence of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Carlson stated that he conveyed these views to then-US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office around February 20, shortly after the war began. He suggested that Israel perceived the economic development within the GCC nations as a significant threat. "It doesn’t want the GCC because they’re building these kind of amazing societies. That’s a massive threat to Israel," Carlson said.
He further elaborated that the war's broader objective was to neutralize Iran as a regional power, disrupt the GCC's influence, and ultimately compel the United States to withdraw its military presence from the Gulf. Carlson also questioned the conventional notion that a substantial US military presence in the region serves Israeli interests, suggesting instead that these bases act as "leashes" constraining Israeli actions.
Carlson's remarks come amid reports of increasing pressure on Gulf states due to the ongoing conflict. The International Institute for Strategic Studies reported in March that Iran had launched thousands of missiles and drones targeting GCC states. Additionally, a May report by The Washington Post, citing satellite imagery, indicated that at least 228 buildings or pieces of equipment at US military sites had been damaged or destroyed since the war commenced. The Pentagon has reportedly been evaluating a potential reduction in its military presence in the Persian Gulf.