- AFP, WASHINGTON
The US is considering using its biggest non-nuclear bomb against Iran if US President Donald Trump should decide to renew combat in the war that has hit a deadlock, CNN reported early yesterday.
The military is planning for the potential use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb — better known by its nickname, the “Mother Of All Bombs” — to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites, the news firm reported, quoting officials familiar with the matter.
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, which erupted with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February, have been at an impasse since the summer.
An image taken from video and released on Wednesday shows smoke rising from a vessel following a US Central Command strike in the Gulf of Oman.Photo: Reuters / US Central Command
However, officials have raised doubts over the efficacy of the bomb if it were deployed, particularly its ability to destroy suspected underground nuclear sites in Iran.
“The MOAB is a massive information operation type weapon that is great for huge area clearance, but not much else,” a source familiar with the plans told CNN. “It is definitely not designed as a deep penetration warhead.”
The US and Israel have said the war was necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — a goal Tehran has denied pursuing.
Washington has in recent weeks dialed back military operations in favor of economic pressure.
In 2017, the US military in Afghanistan dropped a MOAB to target Islamic State group hideouts in a complex of tunnels and bunkers, killing more than 90 militants.