A U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) photo shows the Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon March 11, 2003 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
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The US military has drawn up options for further strikes against Iran that include the potential use of one of the largest non-nuclear bombs in its arsenal, CNN reported on Thursday, as Tehran vowed to continue fighting to meet its demands.
The strike plans involve the possible use of the massive GBU-43/B air-burst bomb, nicknamed the “mother of all bombs,” CNN reported, citing several U.S. officials familiar with the matter. CNBC has not independently confirmed the report and has contacted the Department of Defense for comment.
The 21,600-pound aerial burst weapon is designed to affect surface targets over a wide area and has so far not been deployed by the United States in previous strikes on targets in Iran. It was used in Afghanistan in 2017 under the previous Trump administration.
US President Donald Trump said last week he would not order a resumption of military strikes before the November 3 midterm elections.
Tensions in the Middle East are nonetheless high amid Wednesday’s sinking of a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz and a series of deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthis.
The White House is under increasing pressure to show progress on its Middle East goals ahead of the midterm elections, as the American public increasingly feels the impact at home, via soaring energy prices and broader cost pressures.
Tehran is reportedly strengthening its defenses around its sensitive energy and nuclear sites in anticipation of a possible resumption of attacks, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a televised speech on Wednesday that Iran must continue to use a combination of military and defensive capabilities, negotiations and regional strategic leverage to push the United States to agree to its demands.
Tehran officials have already made demands, including that Washington lift its naval blockade and sanctions and withdraw U.S. military forces from the region.
Ghalibaf said Tehran’s goal was not to lock itself into endless war, but to prevent the United States and its other adversaries from achieving their own goals through military attacks, state-affiliated Iranian media reported.
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