{"id":9213,"date":"2026-10-15T08:23:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T13:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/?p=9213"},"modified":"2026-10-15T08:23:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T13:23:52","slug":"an-open-letter-to-president-trump-and-congress-do-not-drop-the-mother-of-all-bombs-on-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peaceeconomyproject.org\/wordpress\/an-open-letter-to-president-trump-and-congress-do-not-drop-the-mother-of-all-bombs-on-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"An Open Letter to President Trump and Congress: Do Not Drop the Mother of All Bombs on Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

October 15, 2026<\/strong>
From the Peace Economy Project<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To President Donald Trump, Members of the United States Congress, and the American People:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no such thing as a symbolic bomb when human lives are at stake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an October 15 CNN investigation, the United States military has developed plans that include the potential use of the GBU-43\/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb\u2014commonly known as the “Mother of All Bombs” (MOAB)\u2014against Iranian nuclear facilities and energy infrastructure. The weapon, weighing more than 21,000 pounds, is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the American arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We write today to condemn any proposal to deploy this weapon against Iran and to demand an immediate commitment to diplomatic negotiations rather than further military escalation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After more than six months of American bombing, the administration reportedly continues to explore military options that could provide a decisive conclusion to the conflict. Yet military officials themselves have questioned whether the MOAB could accomplish the objectives for which it is being considered. The weapon is designed to produce an enormous surface-level explosion, not penetrate the fortified underground facilities it might be deployed to destroy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This raises a fundamental question: If a weapon cannot reliably achieve its stated military objective, what justifies unleashing its destructive power?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer cannot be political theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CNN’s reporting describes internal discussions of strikes that might provide the administration with a symbolic victory before withdrawing American forces. One source reportedly characterized some proposed operations as a “fireworks show.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We reject the notion that military devastation can be justified as a spectacle of American strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian civilians are not props in an American political drama. American service members are not expendable instruments of presidential image-making. And the people of the United States should not be asked to finance another escalation of a war whose strategic objectives remain uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Human Cost Cannot Be Ignored<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The MOAB is capable of devastating an enormous area. Using such a weapon against energy infrastructure, particularly near populated areas, could cause catastrophic civilian harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Destroying energy infrastructure does not merely weaken a government. It can disrupt electricity, water treatment, hospitals, transportation, and the ordinary systems upon which millions of people depend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International humanitarian law requires parties to distinguish between civilian and military objectives, prohibits indiscriminate attacks, and forbids attacks expected to cause excessive civilian harm relative to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The size of a weapon alone does not determine whether its use is unlawful. But the devastating effects of the MOAB, the proximity of potential targets to civilian populations, and the reported uncertainty surrounding its military effectiveness demand the strictest scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No administration should be permitted to substitute intimidation for a legitimate military objective or civilian suffering for a diplomatic strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States Cannot Bomb Its Way to Peace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

History has demonstrated repeatedly that overwhelming military force cannot guarantee political stability, security, or lasting peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States has spent decades pursuing military solutions to conflicts that ultimately required political agreements. Afghanistan and Iraq should have taught us the dangers of confusing destruction with victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current conflict with Iran threatens to repeat those mistakes on an even more dangerous scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A massive bombing campaign risks provoking retaliation, widening regional instability, endangering American troops, disrupting international commerce, and undermining opportunities for negotiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most importantly, further escalation risks closing the very diplomatic channels necessary to resolve concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and regional security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice is not between surrender and overwhelming force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is another path: diplomacy backed by international engagement, verifiable agreements, regional security negotiations, and a commitment to protecting civilian life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diplomacy is not weakness. It is the disciplined pursuit of peace when the consequences of war have become intolerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Demands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Peace Economy Project calls upon President Trump and the United States Congress to take the following actions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Publicly reject the use of the MOAB against Iran.<\/strong> The administration should commit to refraining from attacks designed primarily to create psychological or political effects rather than achieve clearly defined and lawful military objectives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Immediately pursue a negotiated ceasefire and diplomatic settlement.<\/strong> The United States should work through credible international channels to address nuclear concerns, regional security, and the restoration of safe commercial navigation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Require congressional authorization for further military escalation.<\/strong> Congress must exercise its constitutional responsibilities over war and peace rather than allow the executive branch to expand military operations without meaningful oversight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Demand transparency and accountability.<\/strong> Congress should require classified briefings on the proposed strikes, their military necessity, anticipated civilian consequences, legal justification, and potential for regional escalation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Protect civilian infrastructure.<\/strong> The United States must uphold international humanitarian law and reject attacks that unlawfully endanger civilian populations or the systems essential to their survival.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Redirect national priorities from destruction toward human security.<\/strong> Resources devoted to prolonging this conflict should instead support diplomacy, humanitarian assistance, health care, education, housing, and the urgent needs of communities at home and abroad.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Peace Is Not a Defeat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    We are deeply troubled by reports that considerations of political appearances may be influencing decisions about the future of this war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A president’s responsibility is not to manufacture an image of victory. It is to protect human life, uphold the Constitution, and pursue the security and well-being of the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ending a war through negotiation is not humiliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Refusing to deploy a devastating weapon unnecessarily is not weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Recognizing that military power has limits is not surrender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    These are acts of responsible leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Peace Economy Project was founded on the conviction that the resources, ingenuity, and political will devoted to war can instead be used to build a more just and peaceful society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Nearly fifty years later, that conviction remains urgent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Every bomb represents not only the possibility of lives destroyed but also a choice about what kind of nation we wish to become. The billions spent sustaining conflict represent hospitals not built, schools not funded, communities left without adequate housing, and families struggling to meet their basic needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We cannot claim to value peace while repeatedly choosing weapons whose primary contribution may be the spectacle of their destruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To President Trump: Do not drop the Mother of All Bombs on Iran.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To Congress: Exercise your authority. Demand accountability. Stop further escalation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To the American people: Raise your voices before another irreversible decision is made in your name.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We do not need a bigger bomb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We need the courage to end this war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Peace is not achieved through the magnitude of our destruction, but through the depth of our commitment to humanity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Katerina Canyon<\/strong>
    Executive Director
    Peace Economy Project<\/strong>
    St. Louis, Missouri
    www.peaceeconomyproject.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    This letter responds to CNN’s October 15, 2026, investigation, “Exclusive: US considering using ‘mother of all bombs’ against Iran, sources say,” by Zachary Cohen, Haley Britzky, and Kevin Liptak. The reported military plans are potential options, not confirmation that a decision to deploy the weapon has been made.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    October 15, 2026From the Peace Economy Project To President Donald Trump, Members of the United States Congress, and the American People: There is no such thing as a symbolic bomb when human lives are at stake. According to an October 15 CNN investigation, the United States military has developed plans that include the potential use […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9214,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7,9],"tags":[474,425,596,594,595],"class_list":["post-9213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-pep","tag-congress","tag-iran","tag-moab","tag-open-letter","tag-president-trump"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t