Trump rules out nuclear weapons against Iran amid reported 'mother of all bombs' plans

President Donald Trump has ruled out using nuclear weapons against Iran. "No, I wouldn't use nuclear. We don't have to," he told Newsmax on Thursday, according to Anadolu and AFP. He also said he did not see a need for U.S. ground troops in Iran, and that Washington was in talks with Russia and China on nuclear arms reduction.

Trump was asked about a CNN report on Thursday that the military has developed strike plans using the GBU-43/B, known as the "mother of all bombs" (MOAB). Multiple U.S. officials said targets could include energy infrastructure and nuclear sites such as Pickaxe Mountain if Trump orders combat to resume, before or after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. "The mother of all bombs is not nuclear," Trump said. A White House official said "President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."

The roughly 21,600-pound bomb is the largest non-nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal; Trump first used it in 2017 against Islamic State tunnels in Afghanistan. Sources told CNN they doubt it can penetrate the granite-fortified site. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said bombs and missiles cannot force a nation to surrender, Fars news agency reported. The Treasury imposed new sanctions on 16 individuals and 10 entities linked to Iran.