US could drop ‘mother of all bombs’ on Iran – CNN

The Pentagon is developing plans to use the largest conventional bomb in the US arsenal in its war on Iran, CNN has reported, citing multiple sources in US President Donald Trump’s administration.

If approved, the strike would mark only the second combat use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB, following its deployment in Afghanistan in 2017 during Trump’s first term.

According to CNN, such an operation would primarily serve as “psychological warfare” against Iranian forces while potentially boosting domestic support for the Trump administration. Sources suggested the weapon, nicknamed the “mother of all bombs,” could be dropped ahead of the US midterm elections in early November.

The MOAB is a massive 9,800 kg (21,600-pound) airburst munition designed to devastate a large area and intimidate enemy forces witnessing the explosion. While capable of destroying relatively unfortified targets, it is not a penetrating “bunker-buster” designed to destroy deeply buried installations, such as those used by Iran for critical military infrastructure.