[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments since the US-Iran war started on February 28]
As the US-Iran war drags on for the eighth month with no definitive end in sight, officials told CNN the US military has developed strike plans that could include using the GBU-43/B. Also known as the "mother of all bombs", it may be used against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders renewed combat operations.
Trump earlier suggested that the US could resume military strikes against Iran after the November 3 midterm elections. The increasingly unpopular war in Iran is expected to impact the Republicans' chances of winning the poll.
Some analysts suggested the use of the 'Mother of All Bombs' (MOAB) might be merely a psychological tactic to influence the bitter conflict. Others doubted the effectiveness of the bomb in destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities that are burried deep underground.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
The potential deployment of the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal would mark a significant escalation in the conflict.
What is MOAB?
MOAB, is the most powerful conventional weapon in the US arsenal. Officially called the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, it is a GPS-guided bomb designed to destroy large-area targets, including facilities in caves and tunnel complexes. It is said to be capable of destroying an area equivalent to nine city blocks.
The massive bomb weighs 21,600 lbs (around 9.8 tonnes) and and is about 30 feet (9.1 metres) long. Its explosive payload weighs around 18,700 pounds (8.5 tonnes). It is deployed from a military transport aircraft rather than a conventional fighter jet.
Developed during the Iraq War, the MOAB is an air blast-type warhead that explodes before hitting the ground to project a massive explosion from all sides.
Developed in just nine weeks to be ready for the 2003 Iraq war, the GBU-43 includes a high-explosive warhead weighing around 18,000 pounds. It is among the largest non-nuclear weapons in the US arsenal, but it is not the heaviest. The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, commonly known as a bunker-buster bomb, is heavier at approximately 30,000 pounds. However, its warhead weighs about 5,300 pounds, roughly a third of the MOAB's explosive payload.
When was MOAB first used?
The MOAB was used for the first time in combat during Trump's first term, when the US military dropped it on a Daesh tunnel complex in Afghanistan.
An Air Force Special Operations Command MC-130 dropped a GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast on a Daesh stronghold during the war in Afghanistan.
In April 2017, the bomb was dropped on a Daesh tunnel complex in the Achin district of Nangarhar Province at 7.32pm local time. Media reports suggest that 92 militants had been killed in that incident.