US military weighs possible use of MOAB in renewed Iran strikes, reports say

The U.S. military has prepared options for renewed strikes on Iran that include potentially using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, CNN reported Thursday, citing multiple U.S. officials familiar with the planning. No decision to use the weapon has been reported, and CNBC said it had not independently confirmed CNN’s account.

The roughly 21,600-pound air-burst weapon, commonly called the “mother of all bombs” or MOAB, is among the largest non-nuclear bombs in the U.S. arsenal. The reported plans contemplate attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders combat operations to resume.

Officials and military experts cited by CNN and Al Jazeera questioned whether the MOAB could destroy Iran’s deeply buried nuclear facilities because it is designed to produce a powerful blast across a broad surface area rather than penetrate deeply underground. The bomb is typically released from a C-130 cargo aircraft.

The United States has used the MOAB in combat once, striking an Islamic State cave and tunnel complex in Afghanistan in 2017. Afghan authorities said more than 90 fighters were killed, while local reports of civilian casualties were not confirmed.

Trump said last week that he would not order strikes to resume before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday that Tehran would continue combining military and defensive measures, negotiations and regional leverage to press its demands, while seeking to avoid an endless war.