Max Blumenthal on His Iran Trip, Being Detained by Trump & the Globalist Chokehold on American Media

September 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Max Blumenthal on Reporting from Iran and the Pressure Campaign Against Him

In September 2026, journalist Max Blumenthal sat down with Tucker Carlson to describe what happened when he traveled to Iran to cover the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—and what awaited him when he returned to the United States. Blumenthal, the founder of The Gray Zone, has been reporting from Iran for years, including a previous trip in 2025 that passed without incident. This time was different. While he was on the ground, a coordinated campaign by Israeli-linked organizations and figures targeted him online, and upon landing at Dulles International Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained him, confiscated his phones, and questioned him about his reporting.

The Detention and What It Reveals

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What you'll learn

1 (00:38) **Detained at Dulles & the Trump Admin's First Moves** - Max Blumenthal describes being stopped by CBP after a trip to Iran, and recounts an earlier arrest during the first Trump term.
2 (03:07) **Israel’s Influence on Trump’s Decision to Bomb Iran** - Max explains the lead-up to the war on Iran, describing it as the fulfillment of Netanyahu’s wishes.
3 (04:45) **Reporting from Tehran: The Aftermath of the Bombing** - Max describes what he witnessed in Iran, including the destruction of civilian neighborhoods and a targeted synagogue.
4 (08:26) **Targeted by an Israeli Propaganda Operation** - Max describes the online campaign against him while he was in Iran, led by entities connected to Israel.
5 (14:44) **Loomer as a Proxy for “Zionist Crime Bosses”** - Tucker and Max discuss why figures in the Trump administration are afraid of Laura Loomer and who is backing her.
6 (19:59) **The Fourth Amendment Violation at the Border** - Max explains how his constitutional rights were violated during the CBP search and the legal fight to get his phones back.
7 (28:58) **Congressional Retaliation and the “Hannibal Directive”** - Max describes how three congressmen called for his investigation, which he links to his reporting on October 7th.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Max Blumenthal Tucker Carlson

Show Notes

Max Blumenthal has been reporting critically on Israel for twenty years, in the face of censorship and death threats. Now he’s been detained by the Trump administration.

(00:00) Blumenthal's Trip to Iran and Getting Detained

(25:05) The Paid Propagandists

(1:00:43) Leaked AIPAC Audio

(1:05:53) What Is Israel's Big Picture Goal?

(1:43:17) What Happened to TPUSA?

Max Blumenthal is the founder and editor of The Grayzone, an independent American investigative journalism outlet. He is the author of several books and producer of numerous documentary films on US and international politics. TheGrayzone.com

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