- Iran offers $30,000 bounty for US soldiers.
- Reward doubles to $60,000 if by a woman.
- Bounty announced amidst ongoing Middle East conflict.
Iran has offered a 30,000 dollars bounty for killing or capturing US soldiers, equivalent to around Rs 28.64 lakh in Indian currency. The reward would reportedly double to 60,000 dollars if the act is carried out by a woman.
Iranian Army chief Amir Hatami announced the 30,000 dollars bounty for capturing US soldiers, saying the plan had been drawn up following a "large number of requests" to participate.
"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, without providing details on when or where the killing or capture of US soldiers would take place.
What did Iran say?
According to Iran’s IRNA state news agency, Hatami said the bounty programme was drawn up after receiving "the large number of requests" from people seeking to provide financial support.
Hatami did not specify where or when the killing or capture of US soldiers was expected to take place. There has been no known deployment of US ground forces inside Iran during the ongoing West Asia conflict, apart from a rescue mission in April involving a downed American pilot.
Hatami also said the bounty would be doubled if the capture were carried out by a woman.
"Courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward," he added.
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Hatami reportedly further said that the weapon used to kill a US soldier would be purchased at twice its value, while the individual would receive a new weapon.
"The individual's weapon will also be kept in a planned museum," he added, according to an AFP report quoting IRNA.
Iran-US War
The Middle East conflict began following the killing of 86-year-old Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint military strikes by the US and Israel. Iran subsequently retaliated by targeting Israeli and US assets in several Gulf countries and Israel, causing disruption to the waterway and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability since February 28.
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Meanwhile, Iran has also imposed an effective blockade on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, further complicating efforts to reach a lasting ceasefire.
The latest development comes as a 60-day deadline under the US-Iran Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed on June 17, approaches. Under the agreement, the two countries had agreed to a temporary ceasefire and to continue negotiations aimed at finding a permanent solution.
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However, the ceasefire has remained fragile, with negotiations failing to make significant progress. Iran and the US have instead continued exchanging despite signing the MoU.
So far, 17 US soliders have reportedly been killed since the beginning of the US-Iran war outside Iran, including in countries such as Iraq and Jordan.