Iran’s army commander-in-chief has announced a $30,000 reward for any Iranian who kills or captures a United States service member, according to Iranian news agency WANA.
General Amir Hatami said the money would be provided by “the Iranian people,” framing the bounty as a popular rather than a state initiative, WANA reported.
The announcement is the latest in a series of increasingly explicit bounty threats by Iranian officials against American and Israeli leaders and personnel.
In May, senior lawmaker and National Security Council chairman Ebrahim Azizi said Iran’s parliament was preparing to vote on a bill that would award €50m to anyone who kills United States President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper.
Iranian officials have previously denied that Tehran actively plots assassinations of foreign leaders, while officials have continued making threats against American and Israeli figures.
The latest bounty announcement came as CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper wrapped up a 10-day trip to the Middle East on Saturday, visiting six countries and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, where more than 50,000 US troops are currently deployed across the region in support of ongoing operations against Iran.
The United States has not formally responded to the latest announcement.
Washington has previously imposed sanctions and criminal charges in response to alleged Iranian assassination plots, including a $20m reward for information on an IRGC operative accused of plotting to kill former national security adviser John Bolton.
Trump has also previously warned Iran of devastating consequences should any American be harmed.
(The Whistler)