Iran offers $30,000 bounty for US soldiers’ capture or killing
Photo: REUTERS
Iranian military announced on Sunday that it is offering a $30,000 bounty for the killing or capture of US soldiers, and the reward doubles if a woman performs the act.
Army chief Amir Hatami explained that the Iran’s Army created this plan after receiving a large number of requests to join the effort, according to the IRNA state news agency. He did not provide specific details regarding when or where he expects these actions to occur.
“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, using an informal currency unit. He added, “Courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward.”
Hatami also repeated Iran’s demand for the United States to withdraw from the Middle East, declaring that American forces “no longer have permission to enter the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz.”
There is no known deployment of US ground forces inside Iran during this war, with the exception of an April rescue mission for a downed American airman. The war between Tehran and Washington broke out on 28 February when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
Slightly over a month after the war began, US conducted a massive rescue operation to recover the weapon systems officer of an F-15 jet. This mission involved roughly 200 US troops and more than 170 aircraft racing to reach the airman before Iranian forces could find him.
During the encounter, Iranian troops damaged an A-10 ground attack aircraft, which was subsequently ditched over friendly territory. The US also reportedly abandoned and destroyed aircraft used in the mission, including a C-130 transport plane. A helicopter crew had rescued the pilot of that F-15 in a smaller operation a few days prior.
The fighting paused during an April ceasefire following nearly 40 days of conflict, but the framework for peace talks established in June later collapsed. Since that time, Iran and the United States have traded fire sporadically, with the majority of the fighting occurring in southern Iran and the area surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
Although indirect contact through mediators persists, there is little evidence of a diplomatic breakthrough. Iran has presented a list of demands to reopen the strait, which includes the payment of war damages.
So far, 17 US military personnel have died since the start of the war, including deaths as recently as July. All of these casualties occurred outside of Iran in nations such as Jordan and Iraq.
Source: AFP (adapted)
