US considering using ‘Mother of All Bombs’ against Iran, sources say

Key Points:

• The US military has developed strike plans that could include using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Trump orders a resumption of combat operations before or after the midterm elections.
• The MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, is seen more as a psychological weapon due to doubts about its effectiveness in destroying deeply buried Iranian nuclear facilities, which are fortified by granite and located underground.
• Trump faces political pressure to end the unpopular conflict with Iran but has resisted troop withdrawal, fearing it would be perceived as defeat; military planners are exploring options that could provide a symbolic victory without full-scale ground operations.
• The Pentagon is preparing for potential Iranian retaliation and possible troop rotations in the CENTCOM area, while White House officials emphasize that all options remain on the table to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
• Originally developed for psychological operations during the Iraq War, the MOAB was first used in combat by Trump in 2017 against ISIS tunnels in Afghanistan, marking a shift from his earlier isolationist stance; its deployment against Iran would represent a significant escalation.