Could Trump Use the 'Mother of All Bombs' Against Iran Around the Midterm Elections?
With midterm election pressures mounting, is Trump still considering striking Iran?
On the 14th, CNN cited informed officials stating that the Trump administration is developing a new military plan targeting Iran, including the use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb—commonly known as the "Mother of All Bombs"—to attack Iran’s energy and nuclear facilities. The operation could be launched around the time of the midterm elections.
The GBU-43/B is touted as the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. military arsenal, weighing 9.5 tons with 8.2 tons of explosive material, producing an blast yield equivalent to approximately 11 tons of TNT. While the GBU-57 has greater destructive power, the GBU-43/B earned its nickname “Mother of All Bombs” due to the acronym MOAB, derived from its official designation: Massive Ordnance Air Blast.
Notably, the GBU-43/B has been used only once to date—in 2017, when it was deployed under Trump’s orders to strike Islamic State targets in Afghanistan.
Should Trump proceed with using the GBU-43/B against Iran, such an action would inevitably escalate tensions between the United States and Iran into a broader conflict.
Open-source intelligence platforms have noted that while U.S. bombers originally slated for strikes on Iran have withdrawn from a British military base, recent developments—including large-scale transport aircraft movements delivering unspecified cargo to multiple U.S. bases in the Gulf region and frequent flights by U.S. and Israeli military aircraft over Syria and Iraq—suggest preparations for a renewed offensive against Iran may be underway.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879112528545994/
Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author.