The US military has drawn up plans to potentially unleash the ‘mother of all bombs’ on Iran’s energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if Donald Trump gives the order to resume combat, according to reports.
The proposed strikes would mark a major escalation in the conflict, with the US potentially deploying its largest non-nuclear bomb for the first time in its war against Iran.
It comes as the president faces growing pressure to end the war, which has now gone on for more than six months.
The proposed bomb is the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, which is also known as the MOAB, according to multiple US officials who told CNN.
The weapon, which weighs nearly 1,000kg, is one of the most powerful conventional bombs in America’s arsenal, but officials have reportedly questioned whether deploying it would change the course of the conflict.
With the US midterm elections approaching, Republicans are also bracing for a potential backlash from voters over the conflict.
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One source said the plans referred to launching the attacks before a US military withdrawal from the region, potentially allowing the administration to declare victory before pulling out.
Another source said plans for strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, including the underground site known as Pickaxe Mountain, also explicitly included the possible use of the MOAB.
Despite months of American bombing, there is little sign of a negotiated settlement between Washington and Tehran.
US officials have privately questioned whether the White House has a wider strategy linking its military plans to a clear route out of the war.
Trump and his advisers have spent months discussing options that could provide what they describe as a ‘definitive’ end to the conflict, particularly as opposition among American voters has grown.
The president has also reportedly rejected suggestions from some allies that he should simply withdraw American forces, arguing that doing so could look like a defeat.
Although Trump has publicly said he would not take further military action before the midterm elections, advisers have privately questioned whether that position is final.
The White House has not publicly confirmed that the MOAB will be used, and the reported plans do not mean an attack has been ordered.