The Pentagon is developing plans to use the largest conventional bomb in the US arsenal in its war on Iran, CNN has reported, citing multiple sources in US President Donald Trump’s administration.
If approved, the strike would mark only the second combat use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB, following its deployment in Afghanistan in 2017 during Trump’s first term.
According to CNN, such an operation would primarily serve as “psychological warfare” against Iranian forces while potentially boosting domestic support for the Trump administration. Sources suggested the weapon, nicknamed the “mother of all bombs,” could be dropped ahead of the US midterm elections in early November.
The MOAB is a massive 9,800 kg (21,600-pound) airburst munition designed to devastate a large area and intimidate enemy forces witnessing the explosion. While capable of destroying relatively unfortified targets, it is not a penetrating “bunker-buster” designed to destroy deeply buried installations, such as those used by Iran for critical military infrastructure.
The “bunker-buster” GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator weighs approximately 14,000 kg (30,000 pounds). However, the MOAB carries at least four times as much explosive material.
“The MOAB is a massive information operation type weapon that is great for huge area clearance but not much else,” one of CNN’s sources said.
“POTUS has unfortunately put himself in a situation where he is almost compelled to do something,” the official added. With the president’s options limited, “you have to look at psychological effects for which the MOAB is well-equipped.”
In 2017, the US dropped a MOAB on a tunnel complex in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province, targeting militants identified by American officials as members of ISIS-K, a local offshoot of the now-defunct Islamic State terrorist group. Initial reports put the death toll at 36.
A series of recent US media reports has suggested that military officials are preparing options for renewed large-scale attacks on Iran, which would potentially be timed shortly before or after the midterm elections.
Skeptics argue that the initial US-Israeli assault in February and March failed to crush Iran’s military, while American forces are now in a significantly weaker position, having depleted crucial munitions and lost access to military bases across the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Tehran retains the ability to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, putting economic pressure on Washington. Iran could also launch large-scale attacks against strategic economic targets in US-allied Gulf states if it faces an imminent defeat.
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