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Last UpdateOctober 16, 2026, 7:07 AM EDT

President Donald Trump has confirmed that the United States is evaluating Iran’s heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain nuclear complex as a potential target for future military action, stating, “We may have to go there… We’ll knock it out fast” in a Thursday interview. Trump ruled out the use of nuclear weapons or the deployment of U.S. ground troops, but left the door open for conventional air strikes. The comments follow recent reports that the Pentagon has drawn up options involving massive conventional ordnance against Iranian infrastructure, even as Trump expressed optimism that ongoing back-and-forth tensions and negotiations could bring a swift end to the conflict.

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29 mins ago

Trump rejects nuclear strikes on Iran as Pentagon reportedly considers ‘Mother of All Bombs’

President Donald Trump / Fox News

President Donald Trump said Thursday he would not use nuclear weapons against Iran amid reports that the Department of War was developing new strike plans that could include using a bomb known as the “Mother of All Bombs” against Iranian nuclear sites and energy infrastructure.

Speaking to Newsmax about the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB, Trump said, “The mother of all bombs is not nuclear.”

“This is just an extremely large bomb. It’s like a tiny nuclear bomb, but the mother of all bombs is one big bomb, but it’s not nuclear.”

“I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to,” Trump said.

The reports earlier Thursday, cited multiple U.S. officials who were said to have also suggested the strikes could be carried out before or after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Posted by Emma Bussey