The United States is considering deploying one of the most powerful conventional weapons in its military arsenal, the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, widely known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” in potential new strikes against Iran.

The extraordinary military option comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, as American military planners evaluate possible renewed operations against the Islamic Republic, according to CNN.

The massive weapon weighs approximately 21,600 pounds and carries nearly 19,000 pounds of explosives, making it one of the most powerful conventional bombs ever deployed in combat. Designed to deliver an enormous blast across a wide area, the bomb can devastate military installations, fortified positions, and concentrations of enemy forces.

The United States has used the weapon in combat only once. On April 13, 2017, during President Donald Trump’s first administration, American forces dropped the bomb on an ISIS-K tunnel and cave complex in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. The strike marked the first operational deployment of the weapon, which had originally been developed ahead of the 2003 Iraq War.

The MOAB differs significantly from the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the approximately 30,000-pound bunker-busting weapon used by American B-2 stealth bombers against Iranian nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025. While the GBU-57 is specifically designed to penetrate deeply buried and heavily fortified underground facilities, the MOAB is engineered to unleash an exceptionally powerful blast over a broad area.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)