Sen. Ted Cruz doesn't know much about Iran, beyond the fact that he wants to bomb it.
That was the takeaway from an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson released Wednesday. In a short clip to hype up the interview on Tuesday night, Carlson grills Cruz on his knowledge about Iran amid the unfolding Iran-Israel conflict. Cruz, who has loudly advocated for "regime change" in Iran, seemed clueless on basic questions.
“How many people live in Iran?” Carlson asked, leading Cruz to answer that he didn't know.
“You don’t know the population of the country you seek to topple?” Carlson asked.
Ted Cruz on Iran. Full interview tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/hJNwAHAnxZ
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) June 18, 2025
The conversation grew increasingly heated from there as Carlson launched stumper after stumper made up of basic facts.
“You don’t know anything about Iran!” Carlson said. “You’re a senator who is calling for the overthrow of the government and you don’t know anything about the country!”
When Cruz mistakenly used the word “we" while talking about strikes on Iran, Carlson pounced.
“This is high stakes,” Carlson said. “You’re a senator. If you’re saying the United States government is at war with Iran right now, people are listening.”
President Donald Trump has waffled on whether or not the U.S. will take an active role in the conflict.
Cruz has spent the day on social media bashing Castlson for his line of questioning, posting memes from Monty Python and an AI image comparing himself to Luke Skywalker fighting the Empire. He also circled back on Carlson’s comments from more than 10 years ago, regarding Iran.
https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1935403200745488864
U.S. involvement has divided Republicans. Bipartisan efforts are currently moving through Congress to block any involvement in the conflict without the legislature's approval.
Watch the entire interview below:
