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Prominent American conservative journalist Tucker Carlson has criticised US President Donald Trump, saying he feels “betrayed” over the administration’s role in the Iran war.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Carlson said his frustration was directed at the conflict and Washington’s broader course. “I don’t hate Trump. I hate this war and the direction that the US government is taking,” he said, adding, “I feel betrayed.”

The comments underline a widening split between Trump and one of his former high-profile allies. Carlson has increasingly opposed overseas military intervention and accused Trump of abandoning earlier anti-war promises.

He said he had believed Trump’s pledge of “no new wars”, particularly in the Middle East, was sincere, but now sees the president as having moved away from that position.

“Why can’t the US government act on behalf of its own citizens?” Carlson asked. “This is a generational problem that didn’t start with Trump. If anything, Trump just proved the system was stronger than him.”

Earlier this month, Trump publicly dismissed Carlson’s criticism, calling him a “low IQ person”.

In a video released on April 20, Carlson also expressed regret over supporting Trump, saying he would “be tormented by it for a long time” and apologising for “misleading” people.

“I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people. It was not intentional,” Carlson said on The Tucker Carlson Show.

The dispute comes amid growing divisions among conservatives over Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict.

Carlson was once a strong Trump supporter. At the 2024 Republican National Convention, he praised Trump’s survival of an assassination attempt during the campaign, calling it an act of divine intervention.