Iran’s military has announced a $30,000 reward for any Iranian citizen who kills or captures a US serviceman, with the payment doubled if the action is carried out by a woman, according to Army chief Amir Hatami.
Hatami said on Sunday that the initiative had been drawn up following a “large number of requests” from Iranians seeking to participate in what he described as the nation’s defence. The announcement was carried by Iranian state media.
“Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” Hatami said. He added that “courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward”.
Hatami did not specify where or when such an operation against American personnel was expected to take place. He also said that weapons used to kill US troops would be purchased by the state for twice their value and displayed in a planned museum, with their owners receiving replacement weapons.
The announcement comes amid a continuing confrontation between Tehran and Washington. The war between the two sides began on February 28 when the United States and Israel attacked Iran. Although the conflict has included extensive US military operations, there has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran, apart from a major rescue operation in April.
During that operation, the United States sent around 200 troops and more than 170 aircraft to retrieve the weapon systems officer of an F-15 jet that had gone down over Iran. Iranian forces and local residents searched for the stranded airmen, while Tehran reportedly offered cash rewards for their capture. Both crew members were eventually recovered by US forces.
The rescue operation itself involved further losses. Iranian troops damaged an A-10 ground attack aircraft, which was ditched over friendly territory, while aircraft used during the mission, including a C-130 transport plane, were reportedly abandoned and destroyed. Days earlier, the F-15 pilot had been rescued by a helicopter crew in a smaller operation.
The war was later paused by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting. A June framework for peace talks subsequently collapsed, and Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centred in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The prospect of American troops entering Iran on a larger scale has nevertheless remained a point of concern for Tehran. Western media have reported that Washington has considered missions that could place large numbers of US personnel on Iranian territory, including a reported operation involving thousands of troops to seize Tehran’s stockpile of enriched uranium from heavily fortified nuclear facilities.
Hatami repeated Iran’s demand that US forces leave the Middle East, saying they are “no longer permitted to enter the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz”. He also said Tehran would not allow US bases in the region to return to their “previous state”.
The confrontation has already resulted in 17 US military personnel being killed since the start of the war, with the most recent deaths occurring in July. All of those deaths took place outside Iran, including in Jordan and Iraq.
Indirect contact between Tehran and Washington has continued through mediators, but there has been little sign of a diplomatic breakthrough. Iran has also set out demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, including compensation for war damages, while Washington has continued military and economic pressure on Tehran. Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is peaceful.
