Miniature nuclear bombs vs MOAB: Can America crack Pickaxe Mountain?

And the U.S. reportedly weighing the use of its biggest conventional bomb against Iran. But is the target buried too deep for even a weapon of this size to destroy? President Trump saying he will not use nuclear weapons against Iran, that raises a big question as well. If conventional bombs cannot reach a hardened underground site, what options remain? Top generals inside the Pentagon are confronting a hard geological reality. The talk of unleashing GBU-43B massive ordnance airblast, known worldwide as the mother of all bombs, has dominated headlines. The MOAB is America's largest non-nuclear bomb. It weighs 21,600 pounds, almost 9.8 tons. It's 30 feet long and GPS guided. It contains 11 tons of TNT equivalent. It does not drill deep like a bunker buster. Yet, this conventional colossus is an air-burst huge weapon. It ignites the sky, but it cannot penetrate massive rocky structures. President Donald Trump attempted to cool escalating tensions, stating that he would not use nuclear weapons against Iran. But he said that the GBU-43B massive Ordnance air-blast bomb is an option. Just south of Natanz lies Pickaxe Mountain, A heavily fortified facility buried 100 meters beneath solid granite. Under it is believed to be Iran's most crucial nuclear facility. Experts say the MOAB cannot demolish it. But military strategists know that if conventional bunker busters fail to crush buried centrifuge halls, the only munition physically capable of destroying Pickaxe Mountain is an earth-penetrating nuclear warhead. Low-yield tactical nuclear weapons are small nukes for the battlefield, not city destroyers. Yield is measured in kilotons. Strategic nukes can be as less as one kiloton. Hiroshima was 15 kilotons. They are miniaturized to fit on anything. Artillery shells, missiles, aerial bombs, torpedoes. That is why Trump's words matter. MOAB is a psychological weapon. It has massive destructive power. But Pickaxe Mountain was built to survive the MOAB. To kill it for real, you need a weapon that America says it will not use again. So as Iran digs deeper, America looks for a bigger conventional hammer. And the line between conventional and nuclear gets thinner than ever. Bureau report, beyond world is one.