US military draws up plans to unleash 'mother of all bombs' on Iran as Trump eyes definitive strike before midterms
Donald Trump, who told supporters at a midterm rally that government leakers "should be shot," claims a pre-strike intelligence leak forced him to delay Operation Midnight Hammer by two days.A GBU-43/B MOAB — the military's most powerful non-nuclear weapon — which Pentagon planners have proposed deploying against Iran's suspected underground nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain.A GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb — the so-called "mother of all bombs" — which CNN reports the US military has drawn up plans to drop on Iran's nuclear sites.IRGC and Basij paramilitary forces parade through central Tehran. Pentagon planners warn the MOAB's vast blast radius raises serious civilian casualty concerns if deployed near populated Iranian energy sites.
The US military has drawn up strike plans that could see it deploy the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb — the largest non-nuclear weapon in America's arsenal — against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites, reportedly citing multiple US officials. Trump has ordered the military to develop additional strike packages targeting "a lot of energy infrastructure," with plans also explicitly covering the underground nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain. The conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes in February, has ground to a stalemate, and Trump faces mounting voter anger ahead of November's midterm elections.
Officials privately doubt the MOAB can penetrate the granite layers protecting deep underground Iranian facilities, with the weapon reportedly described as 'definitely not designed as a deep penetration warhead.'
Plans reportedly include striking before a US military withdrawal from the region, potentially letting Trump declare victory and pull out — with its primary value seen as psychological pressure on Tehran.
At an Arizona rally Trump also demanded leakers who expose strike timing 'should be shot,' saying they are 'the scum of the earth' after claiming a leak forced him to delay Operation Midnight Hammer.
