Washington is looking at using its largest non-nuclear bomb against Iran if President Donald Trump decides to restart full combat operations in the stalled war, CNN reported on Thursday.

Military planners are considering the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb – commonly called the “Mother Of All Bombs” – to hit Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites, the news outlet said, citing officials familiar with the plans.

Trump wants to boost his struggling approval ratings before November’s midterm elections, with polls showing the unpopular Iranian war and rising fuel prices are hurting his Republican Party.

Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February, have stalled since the summer.

However, officials doubt whether the bomb would work well, particularly against suspected underground nuclear sites in the Islamic republic.

“The MOAB is a massive information operation type weapon that is great for huge area clearance but not much else,” a source familiar with the plans told CNN.

“It is definitely not designed as a deep penetration warhead.”

The United States and Israel say the war aims to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons – a goal Tehran has long denied pursuing.

Concerns also exist about possible civilian casualties from such a large weapon.

Washington has recently pulled back on military operations and focused on economic pressure instead.

AFP has contacted the Pentagon for comment.

In 2017, the US military dropped the MOAB in Afghanistan to target Islamic State group hideouts in a network of tunnels and bunkers, killing more than 90 militants.

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