Trump Rules Out Nuclear Weapon Against Iran but Does Not Rule Out MOAB

U.S. President Donald Trump explicitly ruled out the use of a nuclear weapon against Iran for the first time. In an interview published Thursday, October 15, he also said he does not see a scenario involving ground troops in the country. Trump said the United States is the world's largest nuclear power and does not need to resort to such weapons.

Trump did not, however, deny that the U.S. government is considering the use of the MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the American arsenal. Nicknamed the Mother of All Bombs, the weapon is very large but carries no nuclear payload, according to the president himself. It was used in combat in 2017 against Islamic State militants in Afghanistan.

Trump said the United States could strike Iranian nuclear sites again. The site most often cited is Pickaxe Mountain, where Tehran is believed to keep a nuclear facility hidden beneath layers of granite. He ruled out the use of nuclear weapons, including tactical ones.

Recent reports say U.S. military planners have drawn up new attack plans targeting Iran's energy infrastructure and nuclear sites. Those strikes could go ahead if Trump orders operations resumed, either before or after the November 3 midterm elections. On October 8, he had said he would not authorize a return to bombing before that vote.

Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have raised the risk for maritime shipping. A British maritime monitoring agency rates the threat as severe and says a deliberate hostile action is highly likely. A cargo ship registered in Singapore, the GFS Pride, was struck by an unidentified projectile, caught fire and sank.