With the midterm elections just one day away, President Donald Trump has vacillated between threatening a return to war with Iran and embracing peace talks.
In a rally speech over the weekend, the president referenced both, including an ominous threat to Iran.
A U.S. Air Force F-22A Raptor aircraft assigned to the 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron flies above the guided missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88), not pictured, during an air defense exercise in the Philippine Sea Sept. 24, 2013. The Preble was part of the George Washington Carrier Strike Group and was underway in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Paul Kelly/Released)
F-22 Raptor Firing Flares. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
“The only reason we are not finished with Iran is that I want to be nice,” Trump said at the campaign rally in Iowa, according to Fox News and other media outlets. “I want to try and save all those lives if I can. But at some point, we’re going to have to give ‘em the hammer.”
What, exactly, does Trump mean by “The Hammer”?
By that, Trump seems to be talking about some decisive blow, either using a weapon that hasn’t been used yet, or some tactic that the U.S. has pulled back from using during previous phases of the war.
Is It MOAB?
CNN reported in mid-October that the United States was considering using the “mother of all bombs” in a potential resumption of the war in Iran.
The bomb is the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, also known as “MOAB,” which is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal. MOAB, developed during the post-9/11 era, was first deployed by Trump himself in Afghanistan in 2017 against ISIS positions in that country.
Sources familiar with the discussions, however, told CNN that they doubted whether using a MOAB would help achieve any strategic objectives or end the war.
The CNN report said that if a MOAB is used, it would likely be to attack Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified facility in Iran that is said to contain some of Iran’s nuclear materials.
CNN reported that Trump is looking to take some action that would bring about a “decisive” end to the war. But that’s proved easier said than done, throughout the war so far.
However, one commentator this week suggested that Trump might take an even more drastic step.
Going Nuclear?
The former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, a one-time loyalist who has broken with Trump over the Iran war, Israel, and other disagreements, said over the weekend that he believes Trump is under pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to use nuclear weapons against Iran.
In a lengthy post on X, Carlson wrote that Trump “may be within days of launching a nuclear strike on Iran,” which would be on Pickaxe Mountain. The idea is that the U.S. lacks any conventional weapons that could penetrate that facility, which Carlson says Israeli intelligence has found is where Iran has “restarted its nuclear enrichment program.”
“Bibi calls Trump about it every day,” Carlson said of the alleged nuclear plan, citing “an informed observer.” Carlson goes on to argue that the Israeli prime minister, following the inconclusive results of last week’s election in Israel, is “cornered and desperate,” and doesn’t believe he can form a government unless he has Trump’s help in breaking the deadlock.
It’s not clear how well-sourced Carlson is on the Trump Administration at this point. However, it doesn’t appear that any other reporter has information that the president is seriously considering using nuclear weapons in Iran.
Looking for a “fall guy”?
Meanwhile, The Atlantic reported Monday that while Trump may very well restart the Iran war, he is also possibly looking to assign blame for a war that’s gone longer and been more difficult than he originally promised.
According to The Atlantic’s reporting, the president has been “questioning allies about the job performances of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs] General Dan Caine.” Hegseth, the reporting adds, is “not a popular figure in much of the White House,” with staffers suggesting that he’s been less than honest with them about the state of the war.
The Atlantic also reported that the firing last week of Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s director of planning, was because Sylvia “failed lie-detector tests related to the disclosure of information to reporters.”
Reports last week found that Hegseth may be looking for a “parachute” if he could be appointed to a vacant Senate seat in Tennessee, where he lived before joining the Pentagon.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has written thousands of articles on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
