Tucker Carlson grilled Senator Cruz of Texas in an interview published Wednesday for not knowing basic details about Iran, leading to a fiery exchange that played out in front of cameras.

In a viral clip released by the conservative commentator on X to promote Wednesday’s premiere of the interview, Mr. Cruz is seen on the defensive after getting roasted by Mr. Carlson for not knowing basic demographic information about the Islamic Republic, with the host calling him out for not knowing details of “the country you seek to topple.”

“How many people live in Iran, by the way?” Mr. Carlson asked.

“I don’t know the population,” Mr. Cruz replied.

“At all?” the host asked in shock.

When Mr. Cruz replied again that he didn’t know the population, Mr. Carlson flashed his trademark furrowed eyebrows and puzzled expression for the camera.

“You don’t know the population in the country you seek to topple,” he asked of the senator, who fired back with the same question. Mr. Carlson quickly retorted.

“Ninety-two million,” he said. “How can you not know that?”

The tête-à-tête between the two brash personalities quickly became a fiery exchange.

“I don’t sit around memorizing population tables,” Mr. Cruz responded.

“[It’s] kind of relevant because you’re calling for the overthrow of the government,” Mr. Carlson said, causing the senator to become irate.

“Why is it relevant whether it’s 90 million or 80 million or 100 million — why is that relevant,” he fired back at Mr. Carlson, who followed up by asking if he knew the “ethnic mix” of Iran.

Mr. Cruz became flustered after Mr. Carlson cut him off to say, “You don’t know anything about Iran.”

The two began shouting over each other at that point.

“So, I’m not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran,” the senator said before being abruptly cut off.

“You’re a senator who’s calling for the overthrow of a government, and you don’t know anything about the country,” Mr. Carlson shouted over the senator.

“No, you don’t know anything about the country,” Mr. Cruz fired back. “You’re the one who claims they’re not trying to murder Donald Trump. You’re the one who can’t figure out if it was a good idea to kill General Soleimani, and you said it was bad.”

Mr. Carlson pushed back on the claims.

“No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying you don’t believe they’re trying to murder Trump.”

“Yes, I do,” Mr. Cruz exclaimed in response.

At one point in the testy exchange, Mr. Cruz said, “We are carrying out a military strike today,” which appeared to raise Mr. Carlson’s curiosity.

“You just said ‘we’ were,” he said to the senator.

“This is high stakes. You’re a senator. If you’re saying the United States government is at war with Iran right now, people are listening,” Mr. Carlson said.

The blowup occurred near the end of the two hour conversation between the two on Israel and the recent offensive against Iran. The first 20 to 30 minutes of the interview started off cordially, but quickly went off the rails while Mr. Carlson asked Mr. Cruz of AIPAC initiatives in Washington.

“By the way, Tucker, it’s a very weird thing. The obsession with Israel. When we’re talking about foreign countries,” Mr. Cruz said at one point. “You’re not talking about Chinese. You’re not talking about Japanese. Not talking about the Brits. You’re not talking about the French. The question [is always], What about the Jews? What about the Jews?”

Mr. Carlson then accused the senator of insinuating that he was antisemitic.

“It’s interesting you’re trying to derail my questions by calling me an antisemite, which you are,” he said.

“I did not,” the senator replied.

“Of course you are,” Mr. Carlson retorted, “and rather than be honorable enough to say it right to my face, you are, in a sleazy feline way, implying it.”

Mr. Cruz’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Carlson, a longtime supporter of President Trump and the MAGA movement — at least publicly — has taken issue with America’s role in Israel’s role in the attacks on Iran, calling the president “complicit” in the escalation of the conflict. He’s also criticized Republican leaders for promoting military intervention in the Middle East, saying it is not beneficial to America. The full interview will be released on Mr. Carlson’s website on Wednesday afternoon.