Trump rules out nuclear strikes on Iran and a ground war—but could a super-bomb be an exception?

【Financial News, New York—Correspondent Lee Byung-chul】  U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed the possibility of using nuclear weapons against Iran or deploying ground troops there. However, amid reports that the U.S. military has drawn up new attack plans targeting Iran’s nuclear and energy infrastructure, he did not rule out the possibility of using the Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), a super-sized non-nuclear bomb. The remarks are seen as an effort to maintain military pressure on Iran while drawing a line against expanding the conflict into a full-scale war ahead of the midterm elections.
In an interview with conservative-leaning broadcaster Newsmax on the 15th (local time), President Trump was asked whether he might use nuclear weapons against Iran. “I will not use nuclear weapons. There’s no need to,” he said, adding, “We are the world’s strongest nuclear power.”
Responding to reports that the United States was considering using the MOAB in an attack on Iran, he explained, “The mother of all bombs is not a nuclear weapon. It’s just an enormously large bomb.” He went on to stress, “It’s similar to a small nuclear bomb, but it’s not a nuclear weapon.” However, he neither confirmed nor denied whether it would actually be used. The MOAB is the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. military’s arsenal and was first used in combat in 2017, in an attack on Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Afghanistan.
Asked about the possibility of deploying ground troops to Iran, he also replied, “I don’t expect that to happen.”
Meanwhile, CNN reported that day that the U.S. military had drawn up new attack plans targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities. The plans could be carried out if President Trump ordered military operations to resume, and both before and after the November 3 midterm elections were reportedly under consideration as possible times for an attack.



[email protected] Correspondent Lee Byung-chul Reporter