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LE: US Weighs ‘Mother of All Bombs’ for Iran Strikes: Report | META: The US military has drawn up plans to potentially use the ‘mother of all bombs’ on Iranian targets, CNN reported, citing US officials. | IMG: hourly-1433-us-weighs-mother-of-all-bombs-iran-strikes.webp | CREDIT: Image: New York Post –>
The US military has drawn up fresh strike plans that could see the mother of all bombs used against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders a resumption of combat operations, CNN reported on Thursday, citing American officials familiar with the planning.
The plans include the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, the largest non-nuclear weapon in the American arsenal. They were drawn up as the Trump administration weighs how to end a war with Iran that has now run for more than six months, with little sign of a diplomatic breakthrough.
One source told CNN that Trump had ordered additional strike packages covering “a lot of energy infrastructure”, with the possible use of the MOAB among the options. A second source said plans for attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, including the suspected underground site at Pickaxe Mountain, explicitly included the bomb.
The White House would not confirm the report. An official said the administration does not comment on sensitive plans, adding that Trump “keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon”.
The report lands just days after Trump claimed the war with Iran would end “very soon” and predicted that oil prices would plunge, a claim covered in our earlier report on Trump’s remarks on the Iran war. The contrast between the talk of an imminent end and plans for a sharp escalation underlines how uncertain the course of the conflict remains.
What the mother of all bombs actually is
The GBU-43/B MOAB is a 21,600-pound GPS-guided munition containing about 11 tons of high explosives. It is the most powerful non-nuclear bomb the United States has ever used in combat, and it has been dropped only once: in April 2017, against an Islamic State cave and tunnel complex in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.
The weapon is designed to destroy soft-to-medium surface targets over a large area and to collapse buried facilities. It sits below the separate GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the bunker-buster built for deeply buried sites.
Deploying the MOAB against Iran would be a notable escalation. Some officials questioned whether the weapon could achieve Trump’s strategic objectives or shift the course of the war, according to CNN.
Pickaxe Mountain and the nuclear question
One named target is Pickaxe Mountain, near the Natanz nuclear facility, where Washington and Israel believe Tehran has stored nuclear programme components. Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike it.
No independent inspection has confirmed the nature of the activity at Pickaxe Mountain, and the planning details remain classified. But the fact that the MOAB is explicitly named in plans for nuclear-related targets suggests the administration is weighing how to reach buried facilities without crossing the nuclear threshold.
Our earlier coverage examined Trump’s earlier warnings to Iran and the debate over alleged US war crimes in the campaign.
Why this matters for the region and Pakistan
An escalation against Iran’s energy infrastructure would hit the region fast. Iran is a major oil producer, and any disruption to its exports or to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would push up global energy prices and feed inflation across South Asia, including Pakistan.
Trump is under pressure at home to end the war ahead of the US midterm elections, and officials have spent months hunting for an option that could be sold as a “definitive” end to the fighting. The IMF has separately warned that Gulf economies will not return to pre-war growth soon, a warning any energy disruption would deepen.
For Pakistan, the stakes are direct: a shared border with Iran, the risk of more refugees, pressure on border trade and threats to energy supplies. The foreign ministry has called for restraint and a negotiated settlement.
Frequently asked questions
What is the mother of all bombs?
The GBU-43/B MOAB is a 21,600-pound US bomb, the largest non-nuclear weapon in the American arsenal. It has been used in combat once, in Afghanistan in 2017.
Has the US authorised a strike on Iran using the MOAB?
No. CNN reported that military plans list the weapon as an option, but no strike has been authorised.
What is Pickaxe Mountain?
A site near Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility where Washington and Israel believe Tehran has stored nuclear programme components, which Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike.
How long has the US-Iran war been going on?
More than six months, with no negotiated settlement in sight, according to CNN.
