Iranian president tells Tucker Carlson Israel attempted to assassinate him during 12-day war

Speaking with Tucker Carlson ahead of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Israel tried to assassinate him during last month’s Israeli “Operation Rising Lion” military offensive against the Iranian regime and its military and nuclear assets. 

“It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was at a meeting, we were discussing how to move forward, and thanks to the intelligence and spies they had, they tried to bomb the area where the gathering was held. God decides who lives and who dies. We are not afraid to become martyrs,” Pezeshkian told Carlson, referring to the Islamist term for Muslims who die in a “holy war” against “infidels.” 

“They tried, but they failed,” the Iranian president continued. 

Pezeshkian further said that he was prepared to die for what he termed Iran’s “freedom” without elaborating. The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the world’s most oppressive regimes according to the Freedom House ranking. 

“I’m not afraid to sacrifice my life for my country, for my country’s freedom. But will it bring security and peace to the region? It will only bring more bloodshed,” the Iranian president added.

The Israeli military and the intelligence agency Mossad eliminated some 20 top Iranian military leaders within the first 24 hours of the war. They included the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami, the head of Iran’s armed forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, his deputy Maj. Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid and the IRGC Air Force commander, Brig.-Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Israel also eliminated over a dozen senior Iranian nuclear scientists who were involved with the Iranian regime’s covert nuclear military program. 

Following an Iranian missile attack on an Israeli hospital, Israeli leaders threatened to eliminate the ayatollah regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei. However, the elimination of Khamenei was never carried out and Israel largely refrained from targeting Iran’s political leaders during the war. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz later argued that Israel wanted to eliminate Khamenei during the war but that there was no opportunity to implement the assassination. 

The Israeli government has so far not commented on the Iranian president’s claim on the assassination attempt.

During the interview with Carlson, Pezeshkian accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. 

“Netanyahu is killing women and children in Gaza, bombing schools and hospitals, civilians and residential areas. It’s genocide. They blocked the entry of humanitarian aid. That’s affected how my country and the entire region view Israel. We didn’t attack Israel. They attacked us,” the Iranian president claimed, failing to mention that Iran’s terrorist proxy Hamas deliberately operated in hospitals, schools and mosques in flagrant violation of international law. 

Israel, the U.S., Germany, UK and most democracies have rejected the accusation of “genocide” against Israel. Israeli leaders have called it a “modern blood libel” against the Jewish people, emphasizing that the Israeli military has tried to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza while fighting Hamas operatives who deliberately use civilians as human shields – a war crime under international law. 

Furthermore, it was the Iranian-backed terrorist militias Hamas and Hezbollah that launched unprovoked attacks on Israel Oct. 7-8 in 2023. The Iranian ayatollah regime praised the Hamas massacre of Israeli women, children and elderly Holocaust survivors. The ayatollahs have been attacking Israel and the Jewish people for decades, mainly through proxies. However, last April and October, the Iranian regime launched its first direct missile and drone attacks on the Jewish state. 

The Iranian ayatollah regime openly advocates genocide against the Jewish people by calling for the destruction of the State of Israel. The ayatollah regime’s genocidal intent and ambition to realize this goal by acquiring nuclear weapons, prompted Israel to launch its preemptive military offensive last month against Iran’s military and nuclear sites.

During last month’s war against the Iranian regime, Israel also eliminated Saeed Izadi, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) “Palestine Corps” who directly oversaw the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis. 

Carlson who used to have close ties to Trump, has become a vocal critic of the president due to his support for Israel and has repeatedly voiced his hostility towards Israel, including interviews with those expressing similar criticisms. 

 “U.S. support for Israel must end. Let Israel conduct its military affairs on its own. If Israel wants to fight this war, it has every right to do so. It’s a sovereign country. But not with American backing,” Carlson stated.

While Trump ordered the strike on Iran’s main nuclear facilities Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, “Operation Rising Lion” was largely an Israeli military success against Iranian military leaders and Tehran’s military and nuclear facilities.