# U.S. Draws Up Plans to Use ‘Mother of All Bombs’ on Iranian Energy and Nuclear Sites, CNN Reports

*Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 6:12 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-10-15T06:12:22.407Z (4h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 9/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/20601.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: The U.S. military has prepared strike options that include using its most powerful non‑nuclear bomb, the MOAB, against Iranian energy facilities and nuclear‑related sites such as Pickaxe Mountain, CNN reports. Officials doubt the weapon could destroy deeply buried nuclear infrastructure but see value in its psychological impact.

U.S. military planners have developed new strike options for Iran that contemplate using the “mother of all bombs” against energy and nuclear‑related targets, according to multiple U.S. officials cited by CNN.

The plans, CNN reports, include potential use of the Massive Ordnance Air Blast weapon, widely known as the “Mother of All Bombs” or MOAB, against Iranian energy infrastructure and some nuclear‑related facilities, including the complex at Pickaxe Mountain. The options would be available if President Donald Trump ordered a resumption of combat operations against Iran either before or after the U.S. midterm elections.

The MOAB is the U.S. military’s most powerful conventional bomb. It was designed to devastate surface and near‑surface targets across a wide area, not to penetrate the kind of deeply buried nuclear sites Iran has built into mountains and reinforced tunnels.

CNN’s reporting says officials themselves doubt the bomb’s ability to destroy those hardened underground facilities. Analysts cited by the network instead describe its main effect as psychological. Using such a weapon on Iranian territory, especially against energy targets that underpin state revenues and domestic life, would be intended to send a message about U.S. resolve and give Trump a visible demonstration of force.

The choice of potential targets carries its own risks. Strikes on refineries, power plants or export infrastructure could disrupt electricity and fuel supplies and hit government income. Even the prospect of attacks on those facilities complicates planning for businesses that deal with Iranian oil and gas and for governments that still rely on those flows.

Regionally, any U.S. strike on Iranian energy or nuclear‑related sites would raise the risk of retaliation against U.S. forces, regional partners and shipping routes. The report surfaces as the wider Middle East already faces missile and drone threats to air travel and maritime traffic.

Inside Washington, the fact that details of the planning have become public shows both readiness and internal caution. Militaries routinely update strike plans, but drawing attention to doubts about the MOAB’s bunker‑busting capacity points to a debate over what kind of operation political leaders would actually authorise.

For energy markets and airlines, the signalling matters even before any weapon is used. References to attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure tend to feed into risk calculations by traders, insurers and shipowners who operate in and around the Gulf.

Key developments to track now include any visible changes in U.S. deployments near Iran, shifts in Iranian rhetoric about its nuclear and energy facilities, and adjustments by regional states that could find themselves caught up in any escalation.