US military draws up plans to drop 'mother of all bombs' on Iran's nuclear sites and energy grid
From the Newshound archive · first published 15 October 2026.
The MOAB has seen combat only once before — in 2017, when Trump ordered it dropped on ISIS positions in Afghanistan, making him the only US president ever to use it in battle.Donald Trump, pictured with Kash Patel, has publicly pledged to hold off fresh strikes until after November's midterm elections, though some advisers privately doubt the promise will hold.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.
Pentagon planners have prepared new strike options that would deploy the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb — America's largest non-nuclear weapon — against Iranian energy infrastructure and the suspected underground nuclear facility known as Pickaxe Mountain. Trump has directed the military to put together the additional strike packages, which could be triggered before or after November's midterm elections. A White House official confirmed Trump 'keeps all options on the table' to stop Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, while declining to comment on the specific plans.
The MOAB, weighing 21,600 pounds and capable of destroying nine city blocks, has seen combat deployment just a single time — against an ISIS tunnel complex in Afghanistan in 2017.
US military planners reportedly doubt the weapon's effectiveness against Pickaxe Mountain, which is buried under layers of granite — it is reportedly 'definitely not designed as a deep penetration warhead.'
Officials also reportedly warn the MOAB's vast blast radius raises serious concerns about civilian casualties if deployed near populated Iranian energy sites.
