The US is reportedly considering using the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ against Iran’s energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Trump resumes combat operations.
The United States is considering using its largest non-nuclear bomb against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders a resumption of combat operations, CNN has reported, citing multiple US officials familiar with the planning.
According to the report, the proposed operation could involve the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), popularly known as the “mother of all bombs.”
No decision to carry out the attacks has been reported.
What the Plans Reportedly Include
One source told CNN that Trump had ordered the military to develop additional strike packages against Iranian targets, including “a lot of energy infrastructure,” and the possible use of the MOAB. A second source said military plans for striking Iranian nuclear sites, including a site known as Pickaxe Mountain, also explicitly call for using the bomb.
The United States and Israel believe Tehran has stored components of its nuclear programme at Pickaxe Mountain. Trump has repeatedly threatened in recent months to strike the site, even after pausing full combat operations earlier this year.
CNN reported that the plans could be carried out either before or after the US midterm elections in November. The military is also preparing for possible Iranian retaliation if strikes are authorised, according to officials cited in the report.
The White House Response
A White House official told CNN that the administration does not comment on sensitive military plans that may or may not exist.
“President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” the official said.
Questions Over Effectiveness
Weighing about 9.8 tonnes (21,600 pounds), the MOAB is designed to produce a powerful blast across a wide area rather than to penetrate deeply buried targets. It can destroy an area equivalent to roughly nine city blocks.
That has raised doubts about its use against underground nuclear sites. Pickaxe Mountain is believed to be protected by layers of granite, and some officials believe the bomb is unlikely to reach deeply enough to destroy suspected facilities there.
One person familiar with the planning described the weapon as “great for huge area clearance but not much else,” and said it was not designed as a deep-penetration warhead. Another source said higher-end targets buried deep underground require bigger bombs, and that the MOAB is the biggest available.
The bomb’s large blast area could also raise concerns about civilian casualties if it were used against infrastructure near populated areas.
Previous Use
The United States first used the MOAB in combat in April 2017, during Trump’s first term, when it struck an Islamic State tunnel complex in Afghanistan. Following that strike, military officials were pressed on whether the bomb was necessary for the target, and similar questions would likely arise if it were used against Iran.
Reports say the planning comes as Trump and his advisers have spent months discussing options that could bring the seven-month-old conflict to what one account described as a “definitive” end, aware of how unpopular the war has become with Americans. US military planners have also developed other options as the administration weighs how to end the conflict.
Trump has maintained that Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon and has indicated that further US military action remains possible.
