Trump Considers Dropping ‘Mother Of All Bombs’ On Iran To End War

US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering using America’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb against Iran as the Pentagon prepares options for renewed strikes after the November 3 US midterm elections. The reported plans include attacks on energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities, with the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) emerging as one possible weapon before a potential US military withdrawal.

Developed in 2003, the nearly 9,800-kg bomb is around 30 feet long and has been used in combat only once, against Islamic State targets in Afghanistan in 2017, during Trump’s first term. Designed to produce an enormous blast, the MOAB is not a dedicated bunker-buster. Experts therefore remain uncertain whether it could destroy Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected Iranian nuclear site near Natanz reportedly buried around 100 metres beneath granite hills. Neither the US nor Israel is known to have attacked the site.

The reported strategy could involve a massive wave of strikes, deploying the MOAB to create a shock-and-awe effect, declaring victory and withdrawing. However, the plan remains unconfirmed. Trump has meanwhile threatened those leaking sensitive military information, saying at a campaign rally that leakers should be shot because disclosures could compromise operations.

Tehran has threatened repeated missile attacks on Gulf energy facilities, data centres and military installations, potentially pressuring regional governments to restrain Washington.

The other front is Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels control parts of the Red Sea coast. The strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have claimed advances around Dubab, near the chokepoint, but Houthi footage suggests fighting continues.

Saudi Arabia has separately reported intercepting a Houthi cruise missile heading towards the Medina region, home to the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second-holiest site. The Houthis denied responsibility and accused Riyadh of spreading false information.