Iran War Day 230: U.S. Considering Use of ‘Mother of All Bombs’ on Iran, Per Report

Amid continued uncertainty about next steps in the nearly eight-month Iran War, CNN reported Thursday that the Trump administration is considering using the United States’ largest conventional ordnance to hit Iranian nuclear sites and infrastructure.

American officials told CNN that the military has prepared strike plans featuring the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb or MOAB—nicknamed “the mother of all bombs”—for a possible resumption of combat operations before or after the U.S. midterm elections. One official expressed doubts that the MOAB, which is the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the American arsenal, would be able to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear sites.

President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing military options against the Islamic Republic as Iranian attacks on tankers continue to disrupt energy markets. Brent crude opened Thursday at $106 per barrel, and AAA reported national average prices per gallon of $4.33 for regular gas and $6.32 for diesel.

Even as operations around the Strait of Hormuz remain in limbo, the war’s Yemeni front saw significant action in the past 24 hours. The Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels struck the presidential palace of the internationally recognized Yemeni government at Aden with missiles, reportedly killing two security guards. The Yemeni government says its officials were unharmed.