The White House and Pentagon have prepared military plans to deploy the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb—known as the “mother of all bombs”—against Iranian military targets if President Trump gives the order, multiple sources familiar with the planning told CBS News.
Pentagon Confirms Operational Planning
A Pentagon official confirmed to CBS News that contingency plans exist for various scenarios. “The Department of War plans for a wide range of operational scenarios to execute Presidential and Secretary level direction and to ensure mission success in any operational environment,” the official stated. The MOAB, officially designated GBU-43/B, weighs 21,600 pounds and represents the largest conventional non-nuclear weapon in the American arsenal. The munition delivers a blast radius of one mile and was previously used in combat only once, during a 2017 strike against ISIS tunnel complexes in Afghanistan.
Defense analysts note the MOAB’s unique capabilities make it suited for destroying hardened underground facilities, precisely the type of installations Iran uses for its nuclear program. The weapon creates massive overpressure that can collapse reinforced bunkers buried deep beneath mountains, where intelligence suggests Iran conducts sensitive nuclear research beyond the reach of international inspectors.
White House Maintains Strategic Ambiguity
A White House spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the specific military preparations. “We do not comment on sensitive military plans that may or may not exist,” the spokesperson said. “President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.” The carefully worded statement reflects the administration’s policy of strategic ambiguity, designed to keep adversaries uncertain about American intentions while preserving maximum flexibility for presidential decision-making.
Iran recently escalated uranium enrichment to 60 percent purity at its Fordow facility, bringing the regime dangerously close to weapons-grade material. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors reported Iran now possesses enough enriched uranium to construct three nuclear weapons if further refined. Tehran insists its nuclear program serves peaceful purposes, but Israeli intelligence agencies and American defense officials express grave skepticism about Iranian claims.
What This Means
The revelation of strike planning signals President Trump’s willingness to use overwhelming military force to prevent Iranian nuclear breakout. Constitutional authority for such action rests with the Commander-in-Chief, though congressional leaders would likely demand consultation before any attack. For American families, the preparations underscore the administration’s commitment to protecting the homeland from nuclear-armed adversaries. The plans also send a clear message to Tehran: crossing the nuclear threshold will trigger devastating consequences that regime survival cannot withstand.