Civil unrest and mass protests against the Iranian regime have surged over the past two weeks. On Thursday, the government again cut internet and cell service, effectively isolating citizens from the outside world. Yet, amid the blackout, clips of alleged conservative commentator Tucker Carlson praising the regime have been airing repeatedly in Persian on state-run television.
In Iran right now:
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 8, 2026
• No internet
• No phone calls
• No communication with the outside world
Yet the Islamic regime’s main state broadcaster is airing and promoting Tucker Carlson.
This was way too much for my brain to handle. pic.twitter.com/iiRYexzezq
BREAKING: The Islamic Republic regime has shut off the internet, blocked phone calls and any communication with the outside world.
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) January 8, 2026
They simultaneously are playing clips of Tucker Carlson praising the regime on loop.
Definition of a useful idiot.
pic.twitter.com/16gTebNJLC
Carlson has faced significant backlash in recent months, including for interviewing Nick Fuentes, a well-known neo-Nazi who has gained influence in several online right-wing communities, as well as others who have claimed that Winston Churchill was the chief villain of World War II.
He has also repeatedly criticized President Trump, first over the strike on Iranian nuclear facilities and more recently regarding the operation that captured Venezuela’s dictator Nicolás Maduro in under four hours, a figure Carlson had previously praised as socially conservative. Additionally, Carlson has insinuated that Trump was deliberately keeping the Epstein files under wraps.
Last month, at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, Carlson drew further criticism after using his speech to downplay the threats posed by Islamic fundamentalists to the United States.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who was interviewed by Carlson last year over whether the U.S. should be supporting Israel (an issue on which they disagree), reposted the clip on X, writing, "Quite the accomplishment."
Quite the accomplishment. https://t.co/ZASZYu77Pv
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 8, 2026
This comes as Iranians flood the streets, driven by economic collapse, skyrocketing prices, and a collapsing currency. Protests have erupted at over 340 sites across all 31 provinces, including major cities like Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, and Kermanshah, with crowds chanting “Death to Khamenei” and “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran,” inspired in part by exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. The regime has hit back with nationwide internet and phone blackouts, mass arrests, live ammunition, tear gas, and at least 28 confirmed deaths, including children, drawing warnings from President Trump and condemnation from human rights groups.
Some are hopeful the unrest could lead to the collapse of the Iranian Ayatollah.
But now, one of the world’s most oppressive regimes is using Tucker Carlson as a propaganda tool. It raises a stark question on how one of America’s once-great conservative voices could have fallen so far.
