Overview
- CNN reported Thursday that President Trump ordered the military to prepare additional attack plans that explicitly include the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, known as the MOAB, as a possible option against Iran.
- Those plans identify wide swaths of Iran’s energy infrastructure and specific nuclear targets, including the site described in reporting as 'Pickaxe Mountain.'
- Military planners cited in the reporting warned the MOAB is built to clear large surface areas but is not designed to penetrate deep underground, leading some officials to doubt it could destroy buried nuclear facilities.
- No strike has been reported and final authorization remains with President Trump, with one source saying any attack might be timed before a planned CENTCOM-area withdrawal.
- The MOAB is the largest non-nuclear U.S. bomb and was used in Afghanistan in 2017; choosing it now could heighten the risk of civilian casualties and broader regional escalation while critics question whether the option serves clear military objectives.