White House prepares plans to use weapon dubbed "mother of all bombs" on Iran, sources say

The White House and Pentagon have prepared plans to use a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb to hit military sites in Iran if ordered by President Trump, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.

A Pentagon official told CBS News: "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."

A White House spokesperson said: "We do not comment on sensitive military plans that may or may not exist. President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."

Last week, Mr. Trump said the U.S. would not attack Iran before the midterm elections. He also touted "productive conversations" with Iran, though he did not provide specifics.

CNN first reported Thursday on the plans to use the Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, or MOAB, on Iran.

Mr. Trump set a precedent for using the MOAB, also known as the "mother of all bombs," when it was used in 2017 to attack an Islamic State cave complex in Afghanistan. The bomb is the largest U.S. non-nuclear weapon, weighing upwards of 30,000 pounds at a cost of $170,000 per unit.

Iran and the United States have largely held off on striking each other in recent weeks, after several months of on-and-off U.S. strikes on Iranian targets. But Mr. Trump has suggested the war could ramp back up if he is not able to secure a satisfactory agreement with the Iranian government.

In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month, the president said he has a "big decision to make" on whether to strike a deal with Iran or "annihilate the Islamic Republic."

Meanwhile, the U.S. is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports and seeking to keep oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. But Iran has continued to threaten and strike ships in the key waterway, keeping global oil prices high.

Over the summer, many of the U.S. strikes against Iran were concentrated on the country's conventional military capabilities near the Strait of Hormuz, including air defense sites and missile and drone storage, according to U.S. Central Command.

Mr. Trump has also floated strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, including Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried site that analysts believe could be part of Iran's nuclear program.

In:

• Iran
• United States Military
• Trump Administration
• United States Department of Defense