# US military adds its largest non-nuclear bomb to Iran strike plans, CNN reports

The new options cover Iranian energy infrastructure and the underground site known as Pickaxe Mountain, but military sources quoted in the report doubt the weapon can reach deep bunkers.

- Published: 2026-10-15T05:13:03.263Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/2026-10-15/us-military-adds-its-largest-non-nuclear-bomb-to-iran-strike
- Publisher: Polylog (Global desk)
- Section: geopolitics
- Sources: [Ynet (Hebrew)](https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hksqbr6igg), [Globes (Hebrew)](https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001559614#utm_source=RSS)

The US military has drawn up new strike plans against Iran that include possible use of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), [CNN reported](https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/15/politics/us-considering-mother-of-all-bombs-iran). The plans would apply if President Trump orders combat operations to resume. One source told CNN that Trump ordered additional strike packages covering "a lot of energy infrastructure." Plans against nuclear sites, including the underground complex known as Pickaxe Mountain, explicitly included the bomb.

Israeli coverage focused on what the plan suggests about US intentions. [Ynet](https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hksqbr6igg) noted that the bomb is the largest non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal and has been used in combat only once. It said the wording of the report suggests Washington could use the weapon, declare that it had achieved its objectives, and then withdraw forces. Ynet also cited doubts about how effective the bomb would be. CNN quoted one assessment stating the MOAB is "definitely not designed as a deep penetration warhead." [Globes](https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001559614#utm_source=RSS) ran the report alongside a separate item saying Israel is blocking the creation of a base for the international force that the US-led "Board of Peace" plans for Gaza.

Iran has shown no sign of changing its position. On Wednesday, Iranian officials said they were ["counting the moments"](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/14/us-iran-war-trump-hormuz-saudi.html) until they could strike US warships. Iran has [warned before](https://parsi.euronews.com/2026/09/10/new-bunker-busting-bombs-united-states-as-iran-reinforce-pickaxe-mountain-nuclear-base) that any attack on its nuclear facilities would widen the regional war. Satellite analysis cited by Euronews Persian in September showed reinforced tunnel entrances at Pickaxe Mountain. Israel says Iran moved enriched uranium and centrifuges there after the June 2025 strikes. Iran has not confirmed this.

## What this means

The disclosure of these strike plans is itself a form of pressure. Reports about them raise pressure on Tehran during talks, and adding energy infrastructure to the target list puts Iran's export capacity, and therefore global oil supply, directly at risk. Iran's main source of leverage runs through the Strait of Hormuz, so each new threat to its oil sites makes attacks on tankers and mining more likely, as this week's sinking shows. Ynet's reading, that a large, visible strike could let Washington claim it achieved its objectives and withdraw, matches what happened after the June 2025 strikes: a short campaign followed by a fragile, renegotiated pause. Our forward read: if strikes resume, they are likely to be brief and highly visible, followed by a declared end within weeks. Iranian retaliation at sea would then keep a risk premium in Brent crude even after the strikes stop. The alternative is that these plans remain a negotiating threat. The deciding factor is whether Iran reduces its attacks on tankers before the midterms.

## What to watch

- US deployments of heavy bombers to regional bases, which would show whether the plans are moving from paper to operations.
- Iranian statements on access to Pickaxe Mountain or on inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). An opening there would reduce the rationale for a strike.
- Gulf states' public positions on allowing US forces to use their bases, since refusals would limit what Washington can actually carry out.