Will the US-Military consider using the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ (MOAB)?

According to a media report, the US military is considering drawn up plans that envisage the first-ever use of the so-called ‘Mother of All Bombs’ in Iran. However, experts have expressed doubts about the weapon’s effectiveness.

The US Department of Defence is preparing new options for a war against Iran. As the news channel CNN reports, citing several US government officials, the updated plans envisage the possible use of the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal. Officially, the weapon is called the “GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb”. However, it is better known by its nickname, the “Mother of All Bombs” (MOAB).

According to one of the insiders, Trump ordered the military to target additional sites, including energy infrastructure. A second source confirmed to the broadcaster that the plans for attacks on Iranian nuclear sites explicitly provide for the use of the MOAB. The focus is also on the mountain range where components of the Iranian nuclear programme are reportedly stored. Trump has been repeating for months that Tehran must not, under any circumstances, develop a nuclear weapon.

Doubts about military effectiveness
However, there is scepticism within the US military as to whether the bomb would actually be effective against Iranian targets. The GPS-guided “Mother of All Bombs” MOAB is said to be capable of devastating an area the size of nine city blocks. However, it lacks the penetrating power required to destroy deeply buried facilities such as those in the nuclear programme, which are believed to be shielded by layers of granite.

Given the enormous blast radius, there would also be a high risk of civilian casualties, particularly if infrastructure targets near residential areas were hit. This is what CNN claims to have learnt from a military source.

A weapon with a history, even under Trump

The “Mother of All Bombs” MOAB was developed during the Iraq War. Its distinctive feature is that its air-pressure-based warhead detonates before impact, thereby generating a wide ranging shockwave. According to military representatives from the final test phase in 2003, the bomb was primarily designed to neutralise enemy troops.

In 2017, Trump became the first US president to actually order the use of the bomb, which weighs just over 10,000 kilograms, against positions held by the terrorist group “Islamic State” in Afghanistan. According to reports at the time, 36 Islamic States (IS) fighters were killed and an underground tunnel system was destroyed.

When asked by the broadcaster, the White House declined to comment on “sensitive military plans”, but emphasised: “President Trump is keeping all options open to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear bomb.”

Francis Tawiah (Duisburg, Germany)