Trump Considers Deploying Massive MOAB on Iran as War Stalls

The United States is weighing the deployment of its largest non‑nuclear weapon, the GBU‑43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, against Iranian energy and nuclear facilities if President Donald Trump authorizes a renewal of combat. CNN reported on October 15 that military planners have mapped a strike using the bomb, popularly called the "Mother of All Bombs," to hit Iran's power grid and nuclear sites. Trump is seeking to lift his low approval ratings ahead of the November midterm elections, with polls linking the unpopular Iran war and rising fuel prices to a slump for the Republican Party. Diplomatic talks to end the conflict, which began after U.S.–Israeli strikes in February, have stalled since the summer. Officials caution that the MOAB, which detonates a few feet above ground and spreads a blast over roughly nine city blocks, is not built to pierce deep underground structures, limiting its ability to destroy concealed nuclear installations. One source described the bomb as an “information‑operation weapon” useful for large‑area damage but ineffective for deep penetration. Concerns are also raised about civilian casualties from such a massive airburst. The United States and Israel have framed the war as necessary to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran denies. Recent U.S. strategy has shifted from kinetic strikes to economic pressure, and the Pentagon has not commented. The MOAB was previously used in Afghanistan in 2017 against ISIS hideouts, killing more than 90 militants.

Context

The MOAB is the biggest explosive payload the U.S. carries that does not involve nuclear material, and its use would mark a significant escalation in a conflict already over seven months old. It requires a cargo‑plane drop and air‑space control, limiting where and how it can be employed.