US Has Plans to Use 'Mother of All Bombs' Against Iran if Ordered, Officials Say
The United States has drawn up plans to use its largest non-nuclear bomb against Iran's energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders renewed combat operations, U.S. officials told CNN.
The plans include potentially using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, known as the "mother of all bombs," according to the officials cited in the reporting. Reuters reported on Oct. 15, 2026, that the military was weighing use of the weapon in potential future strikes on Iran, citing the CNN reporting. CNN said sources described the proposals as new strike plans.
The GBU-43/B, where GBU stands for Guided Bomb Unit, is a satellite-guided munition built for precision strikes. It weighs 9,800kg (21,605 pounds), is just over 9 metres (about 30 feet) long, and contains about 8,500kg of high explosives, according to Al Jazeera.
Because of its size, the bomb cannot fit in a stealth bomber and is typically dropped from a Lockheed C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft. It was first manufactured between 2002 and 2003 and has undergone 12 detonation tests.
The weapon has been used in combat only once before, in 2017 against a cave and tunnel complex used by Islamic State Khorasan Province in Afghanistan. Afghan authorities claimed at the time that 94 fighters were killed in the blast with no civilians hurt.
Officials familiar with the planning discussions said deploying the bomb would be unlikely to help the U.S. achieve its stated strategic goals, including destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities. Brussels-based military expert Elijah Magnier told Al Jazeera that use of the weapon would not guarantee destruction of Iran's deeply buried underground nuclear installations.
An early U.S. intelligence assessment had found that American strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025 did not destroy the core components of Iran's nuclear program, according to CNN.
