Trump Rules Out Nuclear Weapons and Ground Troops in Iran
“I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to,” the president told Newsmax, and on troops on the ground: “No, I don’t see that.” He neither confirmed nor denied reports that the Pentagon has drawn up plans to use the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb. An Iranian MP warned that using it would make American bases and allies “legitimate targets”; oil rose almost 3% this afternoon.
CNN reports that Mr Trump has ordered strike packages including “a lot of energy infrastructure” and that plans for Iranian nuclear sites, including Pickaxe Mountain, explicitly call for the MOAB — though sources doubt it can penetrate the granite there. The White House says only that the president “keeps all options on the table”; he has said he will not resume strikes before the 3 November midterms. Tehran’s acting oil minister, Hamid Bovard, promised “precise, appropriate retaliatory measures at the right time” against threats to energy plants. At sea the attrition goes on: the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre recorded twelve attacks on vessels in the past week, one ship lost, and Hormuz transits about 70% below pre-conflict levels.