Tucker Carlson called Trump’s Iran deal “a pretty humiliating loss for the United States,” delivering his sharpest critique yet of the 14-point memorandum of understanding the president signed with Tehran this month. Carlson made the remarks on his show June 17, 2026, hours after the text of the agreement became public.
The memorandum, signed by President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, establishes a framework for ending the 110-day conflict between the two countries. According to the agreement, the deal includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping toll-free for 60 days, ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, and extending a ceasefire while the two sides negotiate a permanent settlement over 60 days.
Carlson argued the agreement amounts to a strategic defeat, not a victory. “It is impossible, from this text, assuming this is real, and we think that it is, it is absolutely impossible to say this is in any sense a win for the United States, because it’s not,” Carlson said on his show, according to Media Matters. He added: “This is a pretty humiliating loss for the United States, and as an American, certainly not gloating about that at all.”
Carlson’s core criticism centered on American military power. “The United States has shown that it does not have, despite possessing the world’s best or biggest or certainly most generously funded military, does not have the military power to impose its will on the thirty-fourth biggest economy in the world,” he said, according to Media Matters. He called the outcome predictable and argued it vindicated those who opposed the war from the start.
This is not Carlson’s first broadside against Trump over Iran. In April 2026, Carlson declared the Iran war “the single biggest mistake” by any U.S. president in his lifetime, according to The Jerusalem Post. He has repeatedly criticized Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, saying the president was influenced by Israel’s interests rather than America’s own.
The timing and location of the deal signing also drew mockery. Trump signed the memorandum at the Palace of Versailles on June 17, 2026—the same venue where the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, a pact widely viewed by historians as a diplomatic failure that fueled resentment and instability. Critics, including The Daily Beast, flagged the historical irony of signing what they called a “surrender” at a palace synonymous with one of history’s worst peace agreements.
Sources
- Media Matters for America — Carlson’s verbatim remarks on his show, June 17, 2026, including the “humiliating loss” quote and his analysis of U.S. military power
- The Jerusalem Post — Carlson’s April 12, 2026 statement calling the Iran war the “single biggest mistake” by any U.S. president in his lifetime
- The Daily Beast — Criticism of Trump signing the deal at Versailles, June 18, 2026
- CNN — Trump and Vance signing the Iran agreement, June 15, 2026
- NPR — Full text and details of the 14-point memorandum of understanding, June 18, 2026
