Iran’s Army Chief Offers $30,000 Reward for Capturing or Killing US Troops

Iranian Army commander-in-chief Amir Hatami

Iran’s Army Chief Offers $30,000 Reward for Capturing or Killing US Troops

General Amir Hatami frames bounty as a “popular initiative” as 50,000 US troops remain deployed across the region and CENTCOM commander concludes strategic tour

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, marking the latest escalation in the ongoing war of words and bounties between Tehran and Washington. General Amir Hatami said the money would be provided by “the Iranian people,” framing the bounty as a popular rather than a state initiative, in what appears to be a calculated effort to mobilize civilian support against American military personnel while maintaining plausible deniability for the Iranian government. The announcement, which follows a pattern of Iranian bounties targeting US personnel, comes as regional tensions continue to escalate and more than 50,000 American troops remain deployed across the Middle East in support of ongoing operations against Iran.

The latest bounty announcement is part of an escalating war of rewards between the United States and Iran that has intensified throughout 2026. 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 €50 million to anyone who kills United States President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper—signaling that the $30,000 figure may represent only the latest in a series of escalating bounty offers. Hatami’s framing of the reward as a “popular initiative” rather than a state program allows Iranian officials to deny that Tehran actively plots assassinations of foreign leaders, even as officials continue making threats against American and Israeli figures. This dual-track approach—public denials alongside escalating rhetoric—has become a hallmark of Iran’s messaging strategy amid the ongoing conflict.

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The United States has responded in kind with its own bounty programs targeting Iranian leadership. In March 2026, the US State Department’s “Reward for Justice” program issued $10 million bounties** for information on 15 senior Iranian military and political officials, including Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and nine other senior officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian government security, intelligence, and interior departments. The US program offered informants “an opportunity to receive rewards and relocation opportunities,” according to published announcements. Washington has previously imposed sanctions and criminal charges in response to alleged Iranian assassination plots, including a **$20 million reward for information on an IRGC operative accused of plotting to kill former national security adviser John Bolton. President Trump has also previously warned Iran of devastating consequences should any American be harmed.

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. More than 50,000 US troops are currently deployed across the region in support of ongoing operations against Iran, making them potential targets of the newly announced bounty. The strategic deployment represents a significant American military presence that Iranian officials have repeatedly warned they are prepared to confront. Iranian military advisor Mohsen Rezaei previously warned that Iran is prepared to capture “thousands of US soldiers” if Washington launches a ground offensive, and has discussed setting a $1 billion ransom price for each captive American soldier.

The $30,000 bounty represents a significant sum in Iran, where the average annual income is substantially lower, and analysts suggest the reward structure is designed to create a “people’s army” dynamic where economic necessity could drive civilians to target US military personnel. This strategy complicates conventional military responses and expands the threat landscape beyond formal military engagements, transforming ordinary Iranian citizens into potential combatants motivated by financial reward. For the United States, the bounty creates a difficult security calculus, as American military personnel operating in or near Iranian territory now face the additional threat of potential attacks from Iranian civilians, not just from formal military forces. The United States has not formally responded to the latest announcement, though previous US administrations have demonstrated a willingness to escalate military and economic pressure in response to Iranian threats.