The US military has developed strike plans that could put its largest non-nuclear bomb into action against Iran, according to a Thursday report from CNN. The plans could include attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders renewed combat operations.

The weapon under consideration is the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, widely known as the “mother of all bombs.” CNN based its report on US officials familiar with the military planning surrounding potential future strikes.

Any deployment of the GBU-43/B would represent a significant escalation in the conflict. The bomb is the largest non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal, giving the potential option an unmistakably dramatic place in the military plans being weighed.

The reported plans remain conditional on Trump ordering renewed combat operations. CNN did not report that such an order had been issued, only that military planners have prepared potential strike options that could include the massive bomb.

Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites were identified as possible targets. Those potential targets place the planning squarely around major Iranian facilities while leaving the final course dependent on a presidential decision.

Officials familiar with the planning discussions also raised questions about whether the GBU-43/B would actually accomplish Washington’s strategic objectives. The weapon’s sheer size, in other words, has not eliminated concerns among officials about its effectiveness for the missions being considered.

That uncertainty is a central part of the reported deliberations. The military may have an enormous bomb available, but officials cited by CNN are still examining whether using it would produce the strategic results sought by Washington.

The report therefore presents two realities at once. The US military has developed serious strike plans involving an extraordinarily powerful conventional weapon, while officials continue to question whether that weapon is the right instrument for the objectives under discussion.

Trump would have to order renewed combat operations before the potential plans could move toward execution. Until then, the GBU-43/B remains one of the possible options described in military planning rather than a confirmed weapon selected for use.

CNN’s account relied on officials familiar with the matter and officials familiar with military planning discussions. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the report, leaving the account dependent on CNN’s reporting and its unnamed official sources.

The prospect of using the “mother of all bombs” gives the planning a particularly stark edge. Using the largest non-nuclear bomb in the American arsenal would sharply raise the level of force involved in any renewed operations.

At the same time, the questions about effectiveness have not been brushed aside simply because the weapon is enormous. Officials familiar with the discussions told CNN that questions remain about whether it could achieve Washington’s strategic objectives.

The report did not present the GBU-43/B as the sole element of the military’s planning. Instead, it said strike plans could include the bomb, keeping its possible use among the options available if Trump decides to restart combat operations.

That distinction matters because the report concerns prepared military plans, not a publicly announced strike order. The potential use of the bomb is tied directly to a future decision by Trump and to the military’s assessment of possible targets in Iran.

For now, the most consequential detail is that the massive weapon has entered reported planning for potential attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites. Whether raw explosive power can deliver the strategic outcome officials want remains the unresolved question hanging over the plans.

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