US President Donald Trump
United States (US) Department of State has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information that could help authorities track or prosecute Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, along with several other senior Iranian officials.
The reward was disclosed on Friday under the State Department’s long-running Rewards for Justice Program, which offers financial incentives for credible intelligence on individuals accused of involvement in terrorism.
According to the US government, 10 individuals are currently on the wanted list, including Eskandar Momeni, Iran’s interior minister, and Esmail Khatib, the country’s minister of intelligence and security.
In a statement announcing the reward, the State Department alleged that the officials play key roles within Iran’s powerful security structure.
“These individuals command and direct various elements of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which plans, organises and executes terrorism around the world,” the State Department said.
Authorities urged anyone with relevant information to share it through secure communication channels such as the encrypted messaging platform Signal or the privacy-focused browser network Tor.
The department also indicated that those who provide credible information could qualify for significant protection and financial incentives.
“Your information could make you eligible for relocation and a reward,” the statement added.
The Rewards for Justice programme has for decades been used by the US government to obtain intelligence that could lead to the arrest or prosecution of individuals linked to terrorism and other international security threats.
Mojtaba Khamenei assumed a more prominent role in Iran’s leadership following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a bombing on February 28 during the early phase of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
The announcement marks a significant escalation in tensions between the United States and Iran as geopolitical frictions continue to deepen in the Middle East.
