Trump contemplates using the “mother of all bombs” against Iran: here is what the non-nuclear weapon is like

Amid the escalation in geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran, it has been revealed that Donald Trump could order the use of one of the most powerful and deadly weapons ever used in its history.

New reports from CNN indicate that the country is considering using the mother of all bombs against Iran in the escalation, which is marking a new chapter in the conflicts of the Middle East. In fact, the American president himself suggested its use in a recent interview with Newsmax and ruled out that it is nuclear.

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“It’s not nuclear at all, it’s just an extremely large bomb. It’s like a miniature nuclear bomb. But the mother of all bombs is a huge bomb. I wouldn’t use nuclear weapons, it’s not necessary,” Trump noted.

The outlet reveals that the United States would use the GBU-43/B MOAB bomb against Iranian energy facilities and nuclear targets if Trump continues with the military operations in that area despite the potential consequences.

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The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) weighs approximately 9,800 kilograms and is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the American arsenal. It is designed to trigger an explosion of enormous power over a wide surface area and can affect an area equivalent to several city blocks.

The United States previously used this weapon in Afghanistan in April 2017, during Trump's first term, against positions of the Islamic State group. Its potential deployment against Iran would represent a new phase of the military confrontation.

However, there is an important limitation: although its destructive capacity is enormous, the MOAB is not designed to penetrate deep into underground facilities. According to sources consulted by CNN, there are doubts about its effectiveness against fortified Iranian nuclear targets, such as the complex known as Mount Pickaxe.

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Its enormous blast radius also raises concern about the risk of civilian casualties if used near inhabited areas or non-military infrastructure.

The possibility of using this bomb is known amid the pressure Donald Trump is facing to define the course of the war. The president had indicated that he would not order new attacks before the U.S. legislative elections this Tuesday, November 3, although the Pentagon continued to prepare various military scenarios.

In new statements made in the midst of the midterm elections, Trump and the U.S. government are reportedly alerting their regional allies to the possible resumption of attacks in Iran on a larger scale and for a prolonged period.

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An official for the outlet CNBC said that the U.S. Department of Defense “plans a wide range of operational scenarios to execute the presidential and Secretaries of State directives and ensure mission success in any operational environment.”

Within the same report, CNN detailed that Trump had ordered the armed forces to develop strike packages against Iranian targets that include “a large amount of energy infrastructure,” in addition to the use of the MOAB.

On the other side, Tehran has made it clear that it does not intend to yield to American pressure. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and his country's chief negotiator, stated that Iran must combine its military and defensive capabilities with negotiations and its regional influence to defend its interests.

After the new U.S. attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, he insisted that Iranian forces remain at maximum defensive readiness and warned that Washington has the responsibility to avoid a new war.

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