CNN: Military drawing up new strike plans targeting energy, nuclear facilities

MOAB considered more for psychological pressure than bunker destruction

White House says Trump keeps 'all options on the table'

President Donald Trump speaks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Oval Office on Wednesday (local time), saying the US would strike Pickaxe Mountain, where Iran's nuclear facilities are believed to have been relocated. [UPI]
President Donald Trump speaks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Oval Office on Wednesday (local time), saying the US would strike Pickaxe Mountain, where Iran's nuclear facilities are believed to have been relocated. [UPI]

The United States is considering deploying the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb — known as the MOAB, or "Mother of All Bombs" — weighing roughly 10 metric tons, as it prepares for possible additional military strikes against Iran. The move is seen as an effort to project overwhelming force and pressure Tehran back to the negotiating table, amid growing political pressure to end the war with Iran before November's midterm elections.

CNN reported Thursday (local time), citing multiple sources, that the US military has drawn up new operational plans targeting Iran's energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities in anticipation of an order from President Donald Trump to resume strikes.

The plans include the use of the GBU-43/B — the roughly 9.8-metric-ton non-nuclear bomb formally designated the MOAB. One source said Trump had directed the military to develop plans for additional strikes, including against energy facilities, and that the MOAB was among the options under consideration.

A separate source said plans for striking Iran's below-ground nuclear facility known as Pickaxe Mountain also specifically include the use of the MOAB.

Discussions within the military have also touched on declaring victory after any additional strikes and rapidly withdrawing forces from the Middle East, according to sources. One source said language to the effect that further strikes could occur before a withdrawal from the CENTCOM area of responsibility had been used during operational planning discussions.

The MOAB is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal. It detonates above the ground, generating a powerful blast wave across a wide area. It was first used in combat during Trump's first term in 2017, when it was dropped on an Islamic State stronghold in Afghanistan.

The weapon was developed not only for its destructive power but also as a psychological warfare tool designed to instill extreme fear in enemy forces. During the 2003 Iraq War, US military officials said they hoped the massive explosion would break Iraqi troops' morale and prompt them to surrender or abandon the fight.

Whether the bomb could actually destroy Iran's nuclear facilities remains uncertain, however. The MOAB is well suited to causing widespread damage across a surface area, but it is not designed to penetrate deep underground.

US military officials believe the MOAB may struggle to destroy Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility, which is thought to have been built deep beneath a layer of granite, CNN reported.

"The president has unfortunately put himself in a position where he feels he has to do something," one source said. "If you don't have munitions designed to penetrate to that depth, you have to look to the psychological effect of the MOAB."

Analysts say the primary aim is less the physical destruction of facilities than the psychological pressure a display of overwhelming explosive force would place on Iran's leadership — and the potential to shift the momentum of a war that has reached a stalemate.

The push to consider such an escalatory option reflects both the prolonged nature of the conflict with Iran and the political burden of approaching midterm elections. US bombing campaigns have continued for more than six months, yet negotiations with Iran have yielded no clear progress.

CNN said Republican lawmakers are also worried about a voter backlash over the drawn-out war. Trump has said he does not intend to launch new military action before the midterms, but his aides have not ruled out a change in course.

Concerns have also been raised that using such a massive bomb near civilian areas — including energy facilities — could cause large-scale civilian casualties.

The White House declined to comment on specific military operational plans but said Trump keeps "all options on the table" to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.


sjy@heraldcorp.com