Iran Offers $30,000 Reward for Capturing or Killing U.S. Military Personnel
Iran Offers $30,000 Reward for Capturing or Killing U.S. Military Personnel
Iran’s Army Commander-in-Chief, Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami, announced on August 16 that the Iranian military would offer a reward of approximately $30,000 around 5 billion tomans to anyone who captures or kills a U.S. military personnel and hands them over to Iranian authorities, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
Hatami reportedly said the reward would rise to $60,000 if the action were carried out by an Iranian woman.
He further claimed that individuals who used their own weapons would have those weapons purchased by the Iranian Army for twice their value. They would also reportedly receive replacement weapons, while the original weapon would be preserved for display in a planned museum.
According to Hatami, the policy was introduced following what he described as a “large number of requests” from Iranians seeking to participate in supporting the country’s military effort.
The Iranian commander also reiterated Tehran’s demand for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region, declaring that American forces would no longer be permitted to enter the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman or Strait of Hormuz.
However, the announcement did not specify a location, timeframe or operational mechanism for the proposed rewards. The statement comes amid a wider confrontation between Washington and Tehran, while there has been no known deployment of U.S. ground forces inside Iran during the current conflict, aside from an April rescue mission involving the crew of a downed American aircraft.
The announcement therefore appears to carry both a psychological and political dimension, while also representing a direct threat toward U.S. personnel.
It comes amid heightened military activity across the Middle East, with tens of thousands of U.S. service members deployed throughout the region and continued tensions surrounding the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s latest declaration marks another significant escalation in rhetoric between Tehran and Washington, extending the confrontation beyond conventional military operations into an explicit public call for rewards linked to the capture or killing of opposing military personnel.