The Iranian military has declared a reward of $30,000 for anyone who kills or captures an American soldier, with the amount doubled for actions carried out by women, according to reports on Monday.
Amir Hatami, chief of the Iranian army staff, stated that this initiative was sparked by a “high number of requests” from individuals eager to contribute financially, as reported by the official news agency Irna.
Hatami specified, “Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s army will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000, or five billion tomans,” referring to the informal currency unit of 10,000 Iranian rials.
By using the term “invader,” Hatami implies the context would involve a violation of Iranian territory.
To date, there have been no known deployments of American ground troops in Iran during the Middle Eastern conflict, aside from a rescue mission in April to assist a downed American pilot.
Hatami added, “Brave Iranian women who undertake such an action will receive double this reward.”
The conflict between Tehran and Washington intensified on February 28 following joint strikes by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic, which retaliated with attacks on US-aligned Gulf countries.
An armistice ended in April, followed by a framework agreement in June aimed at initiating peace negotiations, which ultimately failed.
Since then, Iran and the United States have sporadically exchanged bombardments, primarily around the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and liquefied natural gas trade.
