US President Donald Trump has for the first time explicitly denied using nuclear weapons against Iran, but he has not denied US media reports that his administration is considering deploying America’s most lethal non-nuclear weapon, dubbed the “mother of all bombs,” in the near future.
In an interview published Thursday by right-wing US news site Newsmax, President Trump suggested he had no intention of using nuclear weapons, but also clarified that the GBU-43/B Mass Ordnance Air Bomb (MOAB, “mother of all bombs”), a devastating aviation weapon, is “not nuclear.”
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“I don’t want to use nuclear. There’s no need. We are the world’s largest nuclear power,” he told Newsmax.
The comments were President Trump’s first final statement on the nuclear issue, following speculation about a possible nuclear conflict in the early days of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. They also appear to confirm speculation that a new phase of the war is imminent, perhaps after the US midterm elections on November 3.
Here’s what we know:
What did Trump say?
President Trump told Newsmax that the United States may indeed launch a new attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, specifically Pickaxe Mountain, where the Iranian government is believed to be hiding nuclear facilities deep within layers of granite.
He denied the use of nuclear weapons or tactical nuclear weapons.
“I don’t want to use nuclear weapons. There’s no need. We are the world’s largest nuclear power.”
He also clarified that MOAB, which CNN reported the US government is considering for use, is “not nuclear.”
In response to a question about whether MOAB is a “tactical nuke,” or a small nuclear warhead, President Trump reiterated that it is not.
President Trump said, “The mother of all bombs is not nuclear.” “This is not nuclear at all. This is just a very large bomb.”
President Trump declined to say whether he had authorized its use in Iran.
President Trump also suggested that new attacks are likely in the near future. He argued that the United States cannot end the war now because it must prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons, saying he believes that “if they had nuclear weapons, in my opinion, they would use them immediately.”
Trump also reiterated that the war, whether military or diplomatic, would be over “soon” and said oil prices would fall.
Asked if he would “put troops on the ground,” Trump said, “No, I don’t think so, I don’t know.” Early in the war, President Trump made comments about sending troops, but analysts said the move would be devastating for U.S. military personnel because of Iran’s mountainous territory.
What is the “mother of all bombs”?
The MOAB carries a large amount of high explosives, approximately 8,500 kg (18,000 pounds or 8.5 tons). It weighs 9,800 kg (21,605 pounds, or nearly 10 tons), about the same weight as four cars, and is just over 9 meters (about 30 feet) long. Stealth bombers are too small to be transported and must be deployed on larger Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
Experts told Al Jazeera that the explosive could detonate several meters above the ground, releasing a powerful fireball that could blow away buildings and other hard-surfaced structures within a radius of one kilometer. The explosion is so powerful that in tests, the explosion created a mushroom cloud that could be seen up to 32 kilometers (20 miles) away, the U.S. Air Force said.
“Its massive explosive charge could produce devastating explosive effects against exposed personnel, equipment and vulnerable structures,” said Elijah Magnier, a Brussels-based military and weapons analyst. “The purpose is to create a very powerful explosion over the entire surface area.”
But Magnier said there were questions about whether using large surface explosives would be effective against Iran’s deeply buried nuclear facilities. He added that Iran’s terrain could be difficult to access for large cargo planes.
What has President Trump ever said about nuclear weapons?
President Trump has never explicitly mentioned the use of nuclear weapons, but he has also never ruled it out.
Early in the conflict, there was widespread speculation that Washington might use nuclear weapons, largely due to the extreme nature of President Trump’s threats against Iran.
For example, in April, when Iran enforced a shipping blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, President Trump posted on his Truth Social site that if Iran did not agree to a peace deal and reopen the strait, “an entire civilization will perish tonight and will never rise again.”
He also threatened to destroy Iran’s infrastructure, saying the bombing campaign in Iran would be “power plant day and bridge day all in one.”
His comments were widely interpreted by experts as a threat of nuclear annihilation, but they still did not bring Iran to the negotiating table.
In the weeks that followed, Trump largely distanced himself from aggressive rhetoric, but he repeatedly said at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month that Iran could be “annihilated.” He also told Congress he believed a deal could be reached after the midterm elections.
What are “tactical” nuclear weapons?
“Tactical” nuclear weapons (TNWs) are small nuclear weapons designed for battlefield use, as opposed to strategic nuclear weapons, which are designed for mass destruction.
Although some perceive the impact of TNW to be less than that of an atomic bomb, experts warn that the name is misleading and could still have devastating effects. It has an explosive force of 0.3 to 50 kilotons and can affect areas within a radius of 500 to 600 kilometers.
The United States dropped a 15 kiloton nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. This means that the weapon would be considered TNW today. The United States, North Korea, and Russia have TNWs, but none have used them. TNWs are not subject to international treaties and are largely unregulated.
What would a new U.S. attack on Iran look like?
President Trump’s failure to rule out dropping MOAB has led analysts to speculate that the United States will launch another, and perhaps final, intensive bombing campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear and defense facilities, particularly Mount Pickaxe.
The United States may continue its naval blockade of Iranian ports while escorting commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has vowed to respond to the escalation of attacks by targeting oil and digital infrastructure in neighboring Gulf states.
Senior defense officials have also warned that Iran would invade neighboring countries if the U.S. launches ground operations, but President Trump appears to have ruled out that possibility.
At the beginning of the war, he hinted at the possibility of sending ground forces to retrieve some 400 kg of “yellowcake” – highly enriched uranium that Washington and Israel claim Tehran is hiding underground.
President Trump’s call in March to Kurdish militias fighting Iran sparked speculation that the U.S. might cooperate in an invasion, but that never happened.
