Iran’s top military commander has announced a $30,000 bounty for anyone who kills or captures a U.S. service member, saying the payout would be doubled if the person carrying out the act is an Iranian woman. It was not immediately clear how civilians would be expected to act on the offer.
Iranian army chief Amir Hatami said officials had received a “large number of requests” to place bounties on American troops, even though there are no U.S. ground forces operating inside Iran.
“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 told IRNA.
He added that “courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward.”
Hatami also claimed that any weapon used to kill an American soldier would be preserved in a planned museum.
Still, the army chief did not explain where or when such attacks could occur, given that U.S. troops remain stationed beyond the practical reach of most Iranians.
Since the war with Iran began on Feb. 28, 18 U.S. troops have died, all of them outside Iranian territory in airstrikes and munitions-related incidents.
The most recent known instance of a U.S. service member being on Iranian soil came in April, when an F-15E fighter jet crashed and triggered a rapid rescue operation for its pilot and weapons specialist.
The bounty announcement comes after President Trump repeatedly accused Iran of struggling to pay its troops as the renewed US naval blockade continues to bleed the Islamic republic’s finances.
Iran’s rial currency has plummeted to record lows during the war, while the nation’s inflation has also skyrocketed to historic levels.
