Tucker Carlson has released an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on his digital channel, and is already playing defense.
Carlson announced in advance of the conversation’s release that he had sat down with Pezeshkian for a nearly half-hour conversation. As part of the promotion of the event, the former Fox News host shared that he is well aware he’ll be subjected to questioning and criticism for showcasing the opinions of the Iranian President.
“We know we’ll be criticized for doing this interview,” Carlson said.
“Why did we do it anyway? Well, we did it because we were just at war with Iran 10 days ago and may be again. So our view — which has remained consistent over time — is that American citizens have the Constitutional right and the God-given right to all the information they can gather about matters that affect them,” continued Carlson. “If their country is doing something with their money in their name, they have a right, an absolute right, to know as much about it as they can. And that would include hearing from the people they’re fighting.”
Carlson added that the purpose of the conversation was not to platform the opposition as much as it was to allow Americans to make their own decisions about the happenings between the United States, Israel, and Iran.
“The purpose of this was not to get to the absolute truth. That’s impossible in an interview like this,” he stated. “The purpose of the interview was to add to the corpus of knowledge from which Americans can derive their own opinion. Learn everything you can, and then you decide.”
The interview between Carlson and Pezeshkian — who earned the position last year — was released on Monday morning.
It isn’t the first time Tucker Carlson has courted controversy in interviewing foreign leaders. Last year, Carlson sat down for a lengthy conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
