Iran’s military has announced a $30,000 reward for anyone who kills or captures a United States soldier, with the bounty reportedly doubling if the act is carried out by a woman.
Iranian Army Chief, Amir Hatami, announced the offer on Sunday, saying it was introduced following what he described as “a large number of requests” from people willing to participate in the financial support of Iran’s military efforts.
According to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, Hatami said anyone who kills or captures and hands over a US military personnel would receive a reward equivalent to $30,000, or about five billion Iranian tomans.
“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 Iranian women who successfully carry out such an action would receive twice the amount.
“Courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward,” Hatami said.
The announcement comes amid continued tensions between Tehran and Washington following months of military confrontation in the Middle East.
There has been no publicly known deployment of US ground troops inside Iran during the conflict, apart from a rescue operation in April involving an American pilot whose aircraft had been brought down.
Hatami did not specify where or when the Iranian military expected American soldiers to be killed or captured.
The conflict between Iran and the United States began on February 28 after the US, with Israel, launched attacks against Iran. The fighting continued for nearly 40 days before an April ceasefire was reached.
A framework for peace negotiations was subsequently announced in June, but the talks later collapsed. Since then, Iran and the United States have continued to exchange fire intermittently, with much of the fighting concentrated in southern Iran and around the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
The latest bounty announcement is likely to further heighten tensions between the two countries as diplomatic efforts to prevent renewed large-scale hostilities remain uncertain.
Source: Agency Report
