The U.S. military has developed options for renewed action against Iran, and one path includes the potential use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, CNN reported Thursday, based on accounts from several U.S. officials who know the planning. The weapon, often called the "mother of all bombs," is an airburst designed to impact a large area of surface targets. It weighs 21,600 pounds and was employed in Afghanistan in 2017 during the prior Trump administration, but it has not been used in strikes inside Iran.
CNBC has not independently verified CNN's report. A U.S. official told CNBC the Defense Department "plans for a wide range of operational scenarios to execute Presidential and Secretary level direction and to ensure mission success in any operational environment."
Tensions remain high. On Wednesday, a container vessel went down in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran-backed Houthis have carried out a series of fatal attacks on Saudi Arabia. According to The Wall Street Journal, Tehran is said to be strengthening protective measures at critical energy and nuclear facilities in case strikes resume.
Tehran says it will keep pressing for its demands. In a televised address late Wednesday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf argued that Iran ought to marshal both military and protective capabilities, pursue talks, and employ regional leverage to press the U.S. to accept its terms. Iranian officials have previously defined those terms as ending the naval blockade and sanctions, and pulling U.S. forces out of the region. Ghalibaf added, per state-affiliated media, that Iran's aim is to avoid an open-ended war and to stop the U.S. and other foes from realizing their goals via military assaults.
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The White House faces rising pressure to show progress on Middle East goals before the Nov. 3 midterms. Last week, President Donald Trump declared he would hold off on ordering any renewed military strikes before Election Day. Meanwhile, Americans are already feeling the pinch at home through soaring energy prices and broader cost pressures.
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