CNN reported today (Thursday), citing American officials, that the US military has drawn up plans to launch strikes that may include the use of a GBU-43/B bomb, also known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” against Iran’s energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders the resumption of combat operations.
The use of this bomb, the largest non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal, would be considered a dangerous escalation in the conflict, but officials familiar with military planning discussions told CNN that questions still remain about its feasibility in achieving Washington's strategic goals.
Trump is facing pressure to end the war, at a time when Republicans are preparing for the possibility of facing political backlash from voters during the upcoming midterm elections.
There are few indications that Washington and Tehran are close to reaching a negotiated settlement, more than six months after the American bombing.
While the US military continues to present Trump with options for striking Iranian targets that have not yet been targeted, some officials are still secretly wondering whether the White House has a strategy that employs these plans in a way that could actually lead to an end to the war, a decision that only the president has the authority to make, according to CNN.
“Mother of all bombs” is part of plans to escalate strikes
For months, Trump and his advisors discussed options that could constitute a “decisive” end to the war, at least in terms of political and media messages, in light of their awareness of the declining popularity of the conflict among Americans, according to the network.
While some officials in the US administration described the war as practically settled, Trump's recent statements were characterized by more reserve. He avoided declaring victory and emphasized that the United States still had unfinished business in Iran.
Behind the scenes, Trump also expressed doubts about some of the outside allies who encouraged him to bring US troops home and end the intervention. Trump believes that taking this step would look like a defeat.
Over the past few weeks, White House advisers have held meetings to discuss various options regarding Iran. Although Trump announced that he would not take new steps before the midterm elections, a number of his advisors said secretly, according to CNN, that they did not know whether this statement was final or whether it might change before Election Day.
Trump requests the preparation of plans to strike energy facilities and the Iranian nuclear program
Trump ordered the military to prepare additional packages of strikes against Iranian targets, including targeting “a lot of energy infrastructure,” while examining the possibility of using the “Mother of All Bombs” bomb, according to a source who spoke to CNN.
The source explained that the wording used during the discussions indicated that the attack was carried out “before the withdrawal of American forces from the US Central Command area of responsibility,” which suggests the possibility of launching additional strikes, then trying to declare victory and quickly withdrawing American forces.
The "PeakX" nuclear mountain is among the potential targets
A second source told CNN that the military plans to target Iranian nuclear sites, including the Pickaxe Mountain site, also explicitly stipulate the possibility of using the “mother of all bombs.”
In recent months, Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike this site, where the United States and Israel believe Tehran stored components of its nuclear program, even after suspending comprehensive combat operations earlier this year.
Trump still maintains that his goal is to ensure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.
Concerns about possible loss have haunted Republicans in all of the United States, from Maine, where Senator Susan Collins is struggling to retain the seat she has held for three decades in the Senate, to Alaska, where President Donald Trump traveled to support Senator Dan Sullivan, passing through other states in the center of the country that Democrats seek to win, to turn the equation in their favor in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Democrats hope that the polls will reflect positively in the ballot boxes during the midterm congressional elections on November 3, and to benefit to the maximum extent from the decline in President Trump’s popularity due to inflation and the rise in prices of fuel derivatives, energy, fertilizers, and other daily commodities, in addition to the war with Iran.
Senator Collins, who is described as a moderate Republican from a state that leans more toward Democrats, faces an unprecedented milestone in her political career, less than three weeks later.
Collins won five elections in a state that usually votes Democratic in presidential elections, thanks to consolidating her reputation as an independent Republican who has achieved tangible achievements in Maine. But this year, it is grappling with forces that are suffocating it from several sides: working-class anger at rising prices, and calls for generational change. Above all, there is an overwhelming desire among many voters to express their rejection of President Trump’s performance in his second term.
Collins, 73 years old, is one of the few skeptics of President Trump, and is waging a fateful political battle, seeking to win in a state where voters are angry with Trump and consider that she did not oppose him strongly enough.
Her race against progressive Democrat Troy Jackson, a former member of the state legislature, indicates a close contest. Some of her supporters say they are angry because her name is associated with the Supreme Court overturning the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion rights in 2022. Anger has been compounded by rising heating fuel prices due to the Iran war, as well as public anger over the killing of an immigrant at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in the state.
Battle in Alaska
At the weekend, President Trump headed to Alaska, which is considered a stronghold for conservatives who support him and the Republicans, traveling a distance of 3,400 miles to mobilize his popular base to preserve the seat of Senator Dan Sullivan, who is facing intense, unexpected competition from former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola.
With Republicans' chances of winning Senate seats in states such as North Carolina and Georgia diminishing, Alaska has become a decisive battleground in the midterm elections.
In contrast to the enthusiasm shown by Republicans in this cold state with Trump's visit, anti-Trump protesters from local Democratic groups took action.
From the podium, Trump attacked Peltola as “crazy.” He strongly criticized another candidate with the same name as Dan Sullivan. He urged the audience to support his candidate for the House of Representatives, current Representative Nick Begich, and Bernadette Wilson for the position of governor of the state. “Vote for the real Dan, vote for Nick,” Trump said, summarizing his list of candidates in Alaska. Vote for a wonderful governor.”
The crowds exploded with cheers when Trump summoned to the podium two men from the Wasilla area whom the administration of former President Joe Biden accused of violating the Clean Air Act. He signed the pardon decisions for them during the gathering.
Trump also called to the podium Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr to announce that his agency plans to invest more than $160 million to expand high-speed internet access in the state. Sullivan, who received a standing ovation during his speech, did not mention the war in Iran, when he acknowledged the “high cost of energy” that has caused suffering for some.
Conservative Republican candidate for the state House of Representatives, Michael Bowles, who is currently competing with a moderate Republican candidate, said that the turnout rate of men who are not affiliated with any political party in the state raises concern.
Additional retreats
Meanwhile, Republicans have backed away from a number of House races, while Democrats have rushed to fundraise to support their candidates whose chances looked slim earlier this year.
The most prominent Republican political action committee in the House of Representatives canceled spending in four congressional districts extending from the Midwest to the East Coast, and increased its investments in 16 other districts from Texas to Pennsylvania. Another political action committee allied with President Trump also reduced its spending in a crucial Las Vegas area.
In contrast, the House Democratic Campaign Committee is looking to exploit open seats in Republican-controlled districts, and hopes to raise millions of dollars over the next week to fund a final round of ads that they say could lead to at least six additional seats.
The shift in money in the last three weeks of the midterm election campaigns indicates an increasingly defensive stance from Republicans, who have already lowered their expectations in the Senate races, and new enthusiasm on the part of Democrats, who are trying to exploit President Trump's declining popularity.
Republicans also reduced their spending in the first district of Iowa; Three-term Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks is defending her seat against Democrat Christina Bohannan.
Likewise, officials said the group will not continue spending in New Jersey's 7th District; Republican Rep. Tom Kaine, who has been in office for two terms, is competing with Democrat Rebecca Bennett.
Instead, the group will boost districts where Trump narrowly beat Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024. Safety and Affordability, an offshoot of Make America Great Again, has allocated nearly $1 million in ad spending aimed at supporting Republican Marty O'Donnell's campaign in Nevada's 3rd District.
