What is the “mother of all bombs” that the United States could use in Iran? | US-Israeli war against Iran

The United States has drawn up plans to strike Iran with the largest non-nuclear bomb in its military arsenal on Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders a resumption of combat operations, according to US officials cited by CNN.

Experts say the deployment of the GBU-43/B massive air-burst bomb (MOAB), nicknamed “the mother of all bombs”, could significantly escalate the ongoing conflict at a time when fighting has calmed.

Concerns are also being expressed, including within the Trump administration itself, about the consequences of such a measure. Officials familiar with military planning discussions told U.S. media outlets CNN and Al Jazeera that deploying the MOAB was unlikely to help the United States achieve its stated strategic goals, including destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Brussels-based military expert Elijah Magnier told Al Jazeera that using the MOAB would not even guarantee the destruction of Iran’s deeply buried underground nuclear facilities and that such a strike would likely be little more than “political theater.”

Here’s what we know:

What is MOAB?

The GBU-43/B Massive Air-burst Bomb (MOAB) is a massive munition containing approximately 8,500 kg (18,000 pounds or 8.5 tons) of high explosives. It weighs 9,800 kg (21,605 pounds or nearly 10 tons) – roughly the equivalent of four sedans – and is as long as a small yacht at just over 9 meters (about 30 feet).

The MOAB is typically deployed from the Lockheed C-130 Hercules cargo plane because it cannot fit inside a stealth bomber.

The bomb, first manufactured between 2002 and 2003, underwent 12 detonation tests.

Its name refers to comments made by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during the 1991 Gulf War, when he spoke of the “mother of all battles”.

The United States has only deployed the MOAB once before – during its 2017 attacks on an Islamic State of Khorasan (ISKP) cave and tunnel complex in Afghanistan. Afghan authorities said that while 94 Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) fighters were killed in the explosion, no civilians were injured. However, there are unconfirmed local reports of civilian casualties and many homes have been destroyed.

What is the “mother of all bombs”?

The GBU-43/B, the United States’ most powerful non-nuclear bomb, was once used against the Islamic State of Khorasan…

GBU-43/B

The palette is deployed from rear cargo door of MC-130H or C-17 aircraft.

1. Released from the plane.

2. The cradle separates; The GPS and the fins guide him.

3. H6 explosives explode.

4. A powerful shockwave spreads.

5. Hot gases, smoke and debris rise in a mushroom cloud.

1 of 4

What type of damage can this cause?

Designed to explode a few meters above the ground, the MOAB sends out deadly waves of fire when it explodes, destroying buildings, cave openings, and other hard-surfaced structures.

“Its goal is to generate an exceptionally powerful explosion on a surface,” Magnier said.

Military expert Col. Nidal Abu Zeid told Al Jazeera that the bomb does not require impact to detonate and its massive explosion will destroy anything on the surface within a 1 km (0.6 mile) radius.

It is likely that the United States will seek to use the highly explosive MOAB to completely destroy Iran’s surface ground positions and reach its underground facilities, including Pickaxe Mountain, which Trump has previously threatened to attack, Abu Zeid said.

However, Magnier said the radius and level of destruction of the bomb would depend greatly on the terrain it would be used on and the population of the area. He added that it might not be particularly effective against targets buried deep underground.

Some of the Iranian nuclear sites the United States may want to target, such as the Fordow complex and a site under construction at Pickaxe Mountain, are heavily fortified and deeply buried.

“Its large explosive charge can produce devastating blast effects against exposed personnel, equipment and vulnerable structures,” Magnier said. “The Afghanistan operation demonstrates its intended application against a cave and tunnel position; it does not demonstrate its ability to destroy any type of underground installation. »

Although its blast can reach underground, the MOAB is not specifically designed to pierce deep concrete or mountain rocks like a “bunker bust” bomb does. The most powerful bunker hunter in the US military is the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Weighing approximately 30,000 pounds (13,600 kg), including a 2,700 kg (6,000 pound) warhead, this precision-guided bomb is made of high-strength steel and designed to penetrate up to 200 feet (61 meters) underground before detonating.

Would the US really use a MOAB?

It’s already been done – in Afghanistan in 2017.

However, aside from the fact that it is not guaranteed to effectively hit underground targets, Magnier told Al Jazeera that it could be difficult to deploy the necessary aircraft to areas of Iran where nuclear sites are located. Stealth bombers, better suited to this terrain, are not capable of carrying bombs of this size.

Using the bomb could also destroy infrastructure without prompting Iran to make concessions, he added, noting that its deployment would risk turning “a spectacular event” into one that would ultimately produce few political results for Washington.

“The question I would ask any commander advocating its use is simple: What will this weapon accomplish that another available weapon cannot accomplish, and how will that result advance a feasible political settlement? “, Magnier said.

“If the response focuses on the spectacle of the explosion, the proposal is stronger as political theater than as a military strategy,” he added.

CNN reported that Trump, in private discussions, sought to “permanently” end the war, which would prove that Washington was undefeated.

How could Iran react?

A MOAB strike would likely provoke a major backlash from Iran, experts say, warning that Tehran could even invade neighbors that host U.S. military assets in response.

Iranian security officials have been commenting for months about a possible invasion of countries like Kuwait to capture U.S. troops and force Washington to surrender.

In May, during a pause in hostilities, Kuwait claimed that sailors from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had infiltrated its island of Bubiyan, sparking an exchange of fire between Iranian and Kuwaiti forces. A Kuwaiti was injured and four Iranian soldiers were captured.

Iran has denied invading the island and said its troops’ navigation system had malfunctioned.

On Tuesday, IRGC security adviser Mohammad Reza Naghdi warned that Iran could capture troops if Washington launches ground attacks, although military experts have long dismissed Trump’s previous invasion threats due to Iran’s mountainous terrain.

“If the United States launches a ground attack, so many of its troops will be captured that they will be forced to raise the white flag,” he said.

Experts say Iran is preparing for a new round of war by stockpiling weapons, fortifying key nuclear and defense sites and rallying its supporters.

In a television broadcast on Sunday, National Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei threatened that Iran would attack regional digital infrastructure, including communications cables, data centers and artificial intelligence facilities in the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere, if U.S. strikes resumed.