The United States has developed plans to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities with the largest non-nuclear bomb in its military arsenal if President Donald Trump orders a resumption of combat operations, CNN reported, citing US officials.
Experts say the deployment of the GBU-43/B Mass Ordnance Air Bomb (MOAB), also known as the “mother of all bombs,” could significantly escalate the ongoing conflict now that fighting has subsided.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
There are also concerns, including within the Trump administration, about what such a move would accomplish. Officials familiar with military planning discussions told CNN and Al Jazeera that deploying MOAB is unlikely to help the United States achieve its strategic goals, such as destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Elijah Magnier, a Brussels-based military expert, told Al Jazeera that the use of MOAB would not even guarantee the destruction of Iran’s deeply buried underground nuclear facilities, and that such an attack would likely be nothing more than “political theater.”
Here’s what we know:
What is Moab?
The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Explosive Bomb (MOAB) is a large munition containing approximately 8,500 kg (18,000 pounds or 8.5 tons) of high explosive. It weighs 9,800 kg (21,605 lbs, or nearly 10 tons), about the same as four sedans, and is as long as a small yacht, just over 9 meters (about 30 feet) long.
MOABs cannot be mounted on stealth bombers, so they are typically deployed from Lockheed C-130 Hercules cargo planes.
The bomb was first manufactured in 2002 and 2003 and was tested 12 times.
Its name comes from former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s comments during the 1991 Gulf War, calling it the “mother of all battles.”
The only time the United States has previously deployed MOAB was in 2017 during an attack on a cave and tunnel complex in Afghanistan’s Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). Afghan authorities claimed that the blast killed 94 Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) fighters, but that no civilians were injured. However, there were unconfirmed local reports of civilian casualties, and many homes were destroyed.
What is the “mother of all bombs”?
America’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb, the GBU-43/B, was used once against Islamic State Khorasan.
GBU-43/B
The palette is expanded from Rear cargo door on an MC-130H or C-17 aircraft.
I was released from the plane.
The cradle separates. GPS and fins will guide you through it.
H6 explosive detonates.
A strong shock wave spreads.
Hot gases, smoke, and debris rise in a mushroom cloud.
1 of 4
What kind of damage can occur?
MOABs are designed to explode several feet above the ground, sending out a deadly wave of fire that blows away buildings, cave openings, and other hard-surfaced structures.
“The purpose is to create a very powerful explosion over the entire surface area,” Magnier said.
Military expert Colonel Nidal Abu Zaid told Al Jazeera that the bomb does not require a shock to detonate, and its massive explosion destroys everything on the ground within a radius of one kilometer.
Abu Zayed said the United States would likely use the high explosive MOAB to completely destroy Iranian ground military positions on the ground and aim to reach underground facilities such as Pickaxe Mountain, which President Trump had previously threatened to attack.
But Magnier said the bomb’s radius and level of destruction depended largely on the terrain in which it was used and the population density of the area. He added that it may not be particularly effective against targets buried deep underground.
Some of the Iranian nuclear facilities that the United States wants to target, such as the Fordow facility and the Pickaxe Mountain construction site, are heavily fortified and deeply buried.
“That large amount of explosives could cause devastating explosive effects on exposed personnel, equipment and vulnerable structures,” Magnier said. “Operations in Afghanistan demonstrate its intended use against cave and tunnel positions, but do not demonstrate its ability to destroy underground facilities of all types.”
Although its explosive power can reach underground, MOABs are not specifically designed to penetrate deep concrete or mountain rock like “bunker buster” bombs. The most powerful bunker buster in the U.S. military is the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Weighing approximately 30,000 lb (13,600 kg) with a 2,700 kg (6,000 lb) warhead, this precision-guided bomb is constructed from high-strength steel and is designed to penetrate up to 200 feet (61 meters) underground before detonating.
Will the US really use MOAB?
It’s already been done – in Afghanistan in 2017.
But in addition to there being no guarantee of effectively hitting underground targets, Magnier told Al Jazeera that it could be difficult to deploy the necessary aircraft to areas where Iran’s nuclear facilities are located. Stealth bombers suitable for this terrain cannot carry bombs of this size.
He further noted that the use of a bomb could destroy infrastructure without provoking any concessions from Iran, and that its deployment risks turning a “spectacular event” into one that ultimately yields little political results for the US government.
“The questions I ask commanders advocating the use of this weapon are simple: What does this weapon accomplish that other available weapons cannot, and how do its results advance an achievable political solution?” Magnier said.
“If the answer focuses on the spectacle of an explosion, then this proposal would be stronger as political theater than as military strategy,” he added.
CNN reported that President Trump, in private talks, has called for a “definitive” end to the war that would prove Washington undefeated.
How will Iran react?
Experts have warned that an attack on MOAB would likely provoke a major reaction from Iran, which could even respond by invading neighboring countries that host U.S. military facilities.
Iranian security officials have commented in recent months about the possibility of invading countries like Kuwait to capture American troops and force the United States to surrender.
In May, Kuwait claimed that sailors from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) entered Bubyan Island during a suspension of hostilities, leading to a gunfight between Iranian and Kuwaiti forces. One Kuwaiti national was injured and four Iranian soldiers were taken prisoner.
Iran denies invading the island and says its military navigation system has malfunctioned.
On Tuesday, Revolutionary Guards security adviser Mohammad Reza Naghdi warned that Iran could capture troops if Washington launches a ground offensive, although military experts have long dismissed President Trump’s previous invasion threats, citing Iran’s mountainous terrain.
“If the United States launches a ground attack, many American soldiers will be captured and forced to raise the white flag,” he said.
Experts say Iran is preparing for another war by stockpiling weapons, fortifying key nuclear and defense sites and rallying supporters.
National Security Council Chairman Mohsen Rezaei said in a televised broadcast on Sunday that Iran threatened to attack digital infrastructure in the region, including communications cables, data centers and artificial intelligence facilities, in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere if the U.S. resumes attacks.
