Trump Says U.S. May Strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain Site as Pentagon Draws Up MOAB Plans

WASHINGTON: The White House and Pentagon have prepared plans to use the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, the weapon known as the “mother of all bombs,” against Iranian targets if President Donald Trump orders renewed combat operations, according to reporting by CNN and CBS News.

CNN first reported Thursday that U.S. military plans include the potential use of the GBU-43/B weapon against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites, citing U.S. officials familiar with military planning. CBS News separately reported that the White House and Pentagon had drawn up plans to use the weapon to strike military sites in Iran if the president orders it, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Trump addressed the reports Thursday in an interview with Newsmax host Rob Finnerty at the White House, saying the United States might launch another strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, including a heavily fortified site known as Pickaxe Mountain. He did not say whether he had authorized the weapon’s use, and he did not name a target.

“Now, we’re looking at Pickaxe Mountain. We may have to go there,” Trump said. “We’ll take a shot at that one. We’ll knock it out fast.”

Asked whether such an operation would involve American ground troops, Trump said, “No, I don’t see that.”

What the reports describe

A Pentagon official told CBS News that the department plans for a wide range of operational scenarios, while a White House spokesperson said the administration does not comment on sensitive military plans that may or may not exist, adding that Trump keeps all options on the table to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The MOAB is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal, weighing about 21,600 pounds. Unlike the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a bunker-busting bomb built for deeply buried targets, the MOAB is designed to produce a massive surface blast. CNN reported that U.S. officials have questioned whether the weapon could effectively destroy Iranian nuclear facilities buried deep underground.

Trump has used the weapon before. It was dropped in combat for the first time in April 2017, during his first term, against an Islamic State tunnel complex in Afghanistan.

Trump’s remarks on a possible strike

In the Newsmax interview, Trump described the weapon as conventional. “It’s not nuclear at all,” he said. “This is just an extremely large bomb.”

He said the United States had already inflicted severe damage on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure but argued that pulling back before eliminating the possibility of Tehran obtaining a nuclear weapon could require another operation within a year. His stated goal, he said, is to ensure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.

Trump predicted the war would end soon, either through talks or by other means, saying Iran was negotiating with Washington and had asked the United States to halt American and Israeli military operations. He also predicted that oil prices would fall sharply once the conflict ends.

Last week, Trump said the United States would not attack Iran before the midterm elections, scheduled for Nov. 3, and spoke of what he called “productive conversations” with Tehran, without giving specifics. At the United Nations General Assembly last month, he said he had a “big decision to make” about whether to pursue a deal with Iran or “annihilate the Islamic Republic.”

The reports come after months of on-and-off U.S. strikes on Iranian targets. In recent weeks, the two sides have largely held off, though the United States is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports while Iran has continued to threaten and strike ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and oil prices remain elevated.

The inclusion of the MOAB in military plans does not mean Trump has authorized its use.

Reporting based on coverage by CNN, CBS News and Newsmax.