Exclusive: US considering using ‘mother of all bombs’ against Iran, sources say

Zachary Cohen, Haley Britzky, Kevin Liptak | CNN

The US military has developed new strike plans that include potentially using the so-called “mother of all bombs” to target Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites should President Donald Trump give the order to resume combat operations either before or after the midterm elections, according to multiple US officials familiar with the matter. Using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb or MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal, for the first time in the conflict with Iran would mark a notable escalation.

Democratic Senators Move to Block U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal

Robert Jimison | The New York Times

A pair of Democratic senators moved on Thursday to block the nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia, arguing that the Trump administration had abandoned longstanding safeguards and sought to sidestep congressional scrutiny of a deal that could fuel a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
The resolution, which would have to be adopted by both chambers to block the agreement, faces steep odds, especially in the Republican-controlled House. Some G.O.P. lawmakers there have raised concerns about the deal, but they have not committed to opposing it.

Air Force Tests New Sentinel Reentry Vehicle

Greg Hadley | Air and Space Forces

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center tested its new intercontinental ballistic missile reentry vehicle Oct. 9, launching the developmental vehicle atop a Minotaur I rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. The Mk21A reentry vehicle, mated to the Sentinel ICBM, will eventually replace the Minuteman III as the land-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad. Carrying the new W87-1 nuclear warhead, it will launch atop the Sentinel’s three rocket stages, blasting into space before reentering the atmosphere to strike its target.

West in nuclear fusion race with China, says UK atomic energy body

Rachel Millard | FT

The west is in a race with China to develop nuclear fusion energy, according to the chief executive of the UK’s state fusion programme, who added that commercialising the nascent technology would arguably be “one of the most important geopolitical events ever”. Professor Dennis Whyte, who became chief executive of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) in September, said the UK has world-leading fusion programmes but that China was also rapidly developing both technology and supply chains. “There is an emerging race which has occurred, and at this point it looks to be essentially the race is between China and the west, or western-aligned nations,” he told the FT in an interview.

How Top Trump Officials Stoked Fears of a Nuke That Could Fry the Power Grid

William Broad | The New York Times

In his first term, President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to defend the United States against an unusual type of nuclear strike that his advisers warned could shatter the power grid, wipe out critical infrastructure and lead to a national collapse. Such an attack, caused by the detonation of a nuclear warhead miles above the earth, would not have the power to kill people directly. Instead, it could create an enormous surge of energy, known as an electromagnetic pulse or EMP, able to fry anything electrical on the ground below.

The Changing Role of Nuclear Weapons in Europe

International Crisis Group | October 14, 2026

The Trump administration’s policies have led European NATO allies already shaken by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to question the credibility of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. Meanwhile, Moscow, frustrated by the failure of its efforts at nuclear coercion during the war, increasingly views these states as adversaries independent of Washington.  … European NATO members should define a coordinated approach leveraging Russia’s continued belief that the U.S. will get involved if things go wrong while bolstering their own deterrence and assurance capabilities. NATO members and Moscow should also engage one another to more effectively transmit signals and avoid misunderstandings.