Trump might hit Iran with Mother of all Bombs. Here's why it might not work

US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering the 9,800-kg Mother of all Bombs for strikes on Iran. But, will the weapon, designed for massive surface destruction, reach Iran's nuclear facilities buried beneath hundreds of feet of rock at Pickaxe Mountain? Did the bomb work in Afghanistan?

In Short

• Trump weighs using the MOAB against Iran as US prepares fresh strikes
• Iran's Pickaxe Mountain may be buried under 450 feet of solid granite
• MOAB devastated IS tunnels in Afghanistan, but Iran poses a harder test

The US military is considering unleashing its most powerful non-nuclear bomb on Iran as President Donald Trump weighs another round of strikes against the Shia Muslim nation. The weapon, known as the "Mother of all Bombs" (MOAB), could be used against Iranian energy infrastructure and suspected nuclear facilities, including the heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain complex. But there is a catch. The bomb might create an enormous explosion without destroying what Washington actually wants to eliminate.

"The MOAB is a massive information operation type weapon that is great for huge area clearance but not much else. It is definitely not designed as a deep penetration warhead," a source familiar with the military planning told CNN in an investigation published on October 14.

The report on the plans come more than seven months after the US and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28. Despite sustained military strikes, the war in the Middle East has not produced a negotiated settlement, while Iran's nuclear infrastructure remains a central concern for Washington. Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected nuclear facility near Natanz that has so far escaped direct attacks.

According to CNN, Trump has ordered the military to prepare additional strike options, including attacks on Iranian energy facilities. The plans could be executed before or after the November 3 US midterm elections. However, no official announcement on the MOAB has been made.

WHAT IS THE MOTHER OF ALL BOMBS?

Officially called the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB, the bomb weighs about 21,600 pounds, or nearly 9,800 kilograms. It was developed by the US Air Force in 2003, during preparations for the Iraq War.

The GPS-guided weapon is approximately nine metres long and carries a massive explosive charge. Unlike conventional bombs designed to penetrate a building or bunker before exploding, the MOAB is primarily designed to create a devastating blast over a wide area.

It detonates above the ground, sending a powerful shock wave across its surroundings. It can destroy exposed military equipment, troop concentrations and certain fortified positions.

The weapon was also developed for its psychological impact. Its sheer destructive power was intended to frighten enemy forces into surrendering or abandoning their positions.

According to Air & Space Forces Magazine's technical database, the MOAB was developed in just nine weeks and became operational in April 2003.

The US military used the Mother of all Bombs for the first and only time in combat in 2017, against an Islamic State tunnel complex in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. Afghan officials claimed the strike killed at least 36 IS terrorists and destroyed tunnels and ammunition stores.

But will it be enough to deal with Iran's Pickaxe Mountain?

WHY IRAN'S PICKAXE MOUNTAIN IS A DIFFERENT CHALLENGE

The problem is not the bomb's explosive power. It is what lies between the explosion and its intended target. Even the biggest conventional bomb might struggle to destroy a nuclear facility hidden deep inside a mountain.

Pickaxe Mountain, known locally as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is located near Iran's Natanz nuclear complex, about 220 kilometres south of Tehran. The mountain has attracted international attention because Iran has been building an extensive underground complex there. It raised concerns that sensitive nuclear equipment could be housed there.

Unlike ordinary military bunkers, which might be buried a few metres underground, the suspected facility at Pickaxe Mountain is protected by hundreds of feet of rock. Estimates suggest that parts of the complex could be roughly 100 metres or more below the surface.

Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Nonproliferation Program, told Iran International in July that the complex could be buried 300 to 450 feet beneath granite, equivalent to approximately 91 to 137 metres.

This makes the mountain an exceptionally difficult target. The GBU-43/B, or Mother of all Bombs, is designed to create an enormous blast over a wide area rather than penetrate deep underground. Its explosion could destroy surface buildings, roads and tunnel entrances while leaving the main underground chambers relatively protected.

Nuclear expert David Albright explained the difficulty of reaching such facilities. "You don't look to get a bunker buster to pass through the mountains. I mean, that's just not possible," Albright told Iran International in July.

A September 9 analysis by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based on six years of satellite imagery, found that Iran had strengthened tunnel entrances, reinforced access roads and apparently shifted towards construction inside the mountain. Researchers also identified U-shaped tunnel entrances that could reduce the force of explosions travelling into the complex.

Another assessment, published by the Institute for Science and International Security on September 17, found that Iran had piled earth around tunnel entrances, apparently to provide additional protection against aerial bombardment.

Even the GBU-57 bunker buster, used by the US against Iran's Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities in June 2025, might struggle to destroy Pickaxe Mountain. The MOAB, designed mainly for surface destruction, would face an even bigger challenge.

However, the equation would change if the targets were above ground, where 'the mother of all bombs' could cause widespread destruction.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM A BUNKER BUSTER?

The US already has an enormous bomb specifically designed to attack underground targets. The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator weighs about 30,000 pounds, making it heavier than the MOAB. But its biggest advantage is not weight. It is designed to penetrate layers of earth and reinforced structures before exploding.

The MOAB releases most of its destructive energy above the ground. The GBU-57 tries to carry that energy underground. The US used GBU-57 bunker busters against Iranian nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025. Even so, experts believe that Pickaxe Mountain could be a target beyond the effective reach of conventional bunker-busting weapons.

The US Air Force's 2025 weapons catalogue identifies the GBU-57 as an earth-penetrating weapon specifically developed for hardened and deeply buried targets.

DID 'THE MOTHER OF ALL BOMBS' WORK WHEN US USED IT IN AFGHANISTAN?

The MOAB has been used in combat only once, during Trump's first presidential term. On April 13, 2017, American forces dropped the bomb on an Islamic State tunnel complex in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. Afghan defence officials initially claimed that 36 suspected IS fighters had been killed. They also said the strike had destroyed tunnels and ammunition stores without civilian casualties.

A subsequent investigation reported by UK newspaper The Guardian in 2017 raised questions about the actual extent of the damage and whether such an enormous weapon had been necessary. The Afghanistan example highlighted the bomb's ability to attack tunnel networks, but not its effectiveness against facilities buried beneath a massive granite mountain.

WOULD A BIGGER EXPLOSION END IRAN'S NUCLEAR THREAT?

Answering that is another problem. Nobody outside Iran's clerical leadership knows exactly what is inside Pickaxe Mountain. Israel has reportedly shared intelligence suggesting Iran moved centrifuges and related equipment into the facility. However, this has not been independently established.

A September 9 assessment by CSIS found extensive construction activity but said the available evidence could neither confirm nor reject those claims. The researchers also found no clear indication that uranium enrichment was already taking place there.

Separately, satellite imagery analysed by the US's Institute for Science and International Security on September 17 showed additional earth piled around tunnel entrances, apparently to strengthen them against aerial bombardment.

Even a successful strike might therefore destroy entrances, roads and support facilities. But that might not eliminate the equipment buried deep inside. And attacking energy infrastructure could create another problem, causing widespread economic disruption and potential civilian harm without making an impact on Iran's nuclear capabilities.

The question, then, is whether the biggest explosion would produce the result Trump wants. A White House official told CNN that "President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon." But the CSIS researchers reached a different conclusion about the limits of military action. Their September analysis argued that repeated bombing would be insufficient and unsustainable, and that a diplomatic agreement would ultimately be needed to restrict Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The MOAB could deliver a spectacular explosion and send a powerful political message. But, destroying Iran's most-protected nuclear infrastructure is a tough ask. The challenge for Trump would be to ensure that nothing survives beneath the mountain. And that must not leave Washington aiming at the same target again.

- Ends