Donald Trump rules out nuclear strike on Islamic Republic; silent on MOAB bomb

US President Donald Trump, in an interview with Newsmax on Thursday, 16 October 2026, ruled out using a nuclear weapon against the Islamic Republic, but neither confirmed nor denied a plan to use the MOAB bomb, America's largest non-nuclear bomb. The remarks came after DIAR's earlier report on the inclusion of this bomb in new plans to attack the Islamic Republic.

Asked about the CNN report, Trump said America has no need for a nuclear weapon because it is the world's greatest nuclear power. He described the MOAB as a conventional, not a nuclear, bomb and likened it to "a small nuclear bomb". The US president also said he has no plan to send ground troops to Iran and will not allow the Islamic Republic to obtain a nuclear weapon; according to him, the government's nuclear material has been buried under thousands of tons of rock.

Possible timing of an attack

Last Thursday, Trump said on Truth Social that he would not carry out a new attack on the Islamic Republic until after the midterm elections on 3 November, but on Monday he said the timing of the elections does not determine his Iran policy. On Tuesday, at an Alaska campaign rally, he had also warned that America's patience has run out. The new interview came as speculation about a resumption of attacks before the US elections has grown.

In the same interview, answering a question about Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said he trusts no one in politics and praised US-Israeli military cooperation in the war with the Islamic Republic.

Background: MOAB in attack plans

According to a CNN report citing several US officials, the US military has drawn up new plans to attack the Islamic Republic that include the possible use of the GBU-43/B bomb, or MOAB, against energy and nuclear facilities. The bomb weighs about 21,600 pounds and was first used in 2017 in Afghanistan.

Trump set aside the nuclear weapon, but kept open the path to using America's most powerful conventional bomb.