Iran offers $30,000 bounty for US soldiers, doubles reward for women
Iran has announced a $30,000 bounty for killing or capturing US soldiers, with the reward doubled for Iranian women who carry out the act, as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue after months of conflict.
Iranian Army chief Amir Hatami announced the reward on Sunday, saying it was introduced following a “large number of requests” from people wanting to participate, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.
The announcement has drawn attention because there are currently no known US ground forces deployed inside Iran, apart from a rescue operation carried out in April following the downing of an American F-15.
Iran announces $30,000 reward
Under the plan, anyone who kills or captures and hands over an “invading American military personnel” would receive the equivalent of $30,000, or 5 billion Iranian tomans, Hatami said.
But the announcement included a separate incentive for women.
“Courageous Iranian women” who carry out such an action would receive double the reward, Hatami said.
Hatami did not specify where or when Iranian forces or individuals were expected to target US military personnel.
Why is Iran targeting US troops?
The announcement comes against the backdrop of the conflict between Iran and the United States, which began on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran.
The US military's most significant known operation involving personnel inside Iran came just over a month into the war. Around 200 US troops and more than 170 aircraft were involved in a major rescue mission to recover the weapon systems officer of an F-15 before Iranian forces could reach the airman.
Iranian troops damaged an A-10 ground-attack aircraft during the operation, forcing it to be ditched over friendly territory. The US also reportedly abandoned and destroyed aircraft used in the mission, including a C-130 transport aircraft.
Days earlier, the F-15 pilot had been rescued in a separate operation involving a helicopter crew.
US deaths linked to war occurred outside Iran
The conflict was later paused by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting. A framework for peace talks followed in June, but those negotiations eventually collapsed.
Since then, Iran and the US have continued to exchange fire sporadically, with fighting mainly concentrated in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the information available, 17 US military personnel have been killed since the beginning of the war, with the latest deaths reported in July. None of those deaths occurred inside Iran; the US personnel were killed in countries including Jordan and Iraq.
Iran warns US over Gulf presence
Alongside the bounty announcement, Hatami repeated Iran's demand that the United States leave the Middle East.
He said US forces “no longer have permission to enter the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz”.
Indirect communication between Tehran and Washington has continued through mediators, but there has been little indication of a diplomatic breakthrough.
Iran has also laid out demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including compensation for war-related damage.
The latest bounty announcement adds another provocative dimension to the already strained relationship between Iran and the US, even as indirect efforts to find a diplomatic way forward continue.
With AFP inputs