WASHINGTON, 16 Oct. - (ANA) - US President Donald Trump has compared a powerful conventional bomb that could be used in potential strikes against Iran to a “tiny nuclear bomb”.

 

“The 'mother of all bombs' is not nuclear,” Mr Trump told Newsmax in an interview broadcast on Thursday night, referring to the US GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb. “It’s not nuclear at all, just an extremely large bomb. It’s like a tiny nuclear bomb."

 

He added that the US armed forces "don’t have to" use actual nuclear weapons against Iran.

 

But Mr Trump declined to rule out using the weapon known as the "mother of all bombs" against Iran after the US midterm elections on November 3.

 

CNN reported this week that the Pentagon had developed plans for potential strikes against Iran that could include the use of the powerful conventional weapon.

 

The bomb was used by the US against ISIS positions in Afghanistan in 2017, during Mr Trump's first term in office.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/16 October 2026 - - -