Iran bounty offer targets US troops, officials say

Iranian officials said Amir Hatami, Iran’s Army chief, announced a cash payment for any US military personnel who are captured or killed, placing US forces at the center of Tehran’s messaging.

Officials said Hatami set the payment at $30,000, describing it as equal to 5 billion tomans. They added that Hatami said Iranian women would receive $60,000 for carrying out the same act.

Warnings over Gulf access and US basing Officials Cash terms and unspecified operational details Officials said there was no indication of when Officials said there was no indication of when or where any attack would take place. A reaction from the US side was described as pending. According to the official account cited by officials, Hatami also said that any weapon used in such an attack would be purchased at twice its price. He added that the person involved would also receive a new weapon, officials said. Warnings over Gulf access and US basing Officials said Hatami tied the announcement to Iran’s demand that Washington leave the Middle East. In that context, he said the US no longer had permission to enter the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, or the Strait of Hormuz. Hatami also criticized President Trump’s statement that the Officials said the statement amounted to a direct security warning focused on access to Gulf waterways. Hatami also criticized President Trump’s statement that the Strait of Hormuz would be declared US territory after Iran’s defeat, officials said. Officials said Hatami warned that US bases in West Asia would not be allowed to resume operations in neighboring countries if Tehran judged them to be a threat to Iran.

Timing alongside the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding

Officials said the announcement comes close to the Officials said the announcement comes close to the 60-day marker under the US-Iran Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. Under their account, the memorandum was signed on June 17 after 40 days of fighting that began on February 28.

Officials said the same account described an agreement on a temporary ceasefire and additional negotiations aimed at a permanent settlement. They said the next signal by August 18, 2026 would be whether either side publicly reaffirms the ceasefire terms or announces new military restrictions.

Officials said the consequences would hinge on whether the ceasefire language remains in place. In their description, if the wording holds, the broader effect stays centered on geopolitical risk pricing; if it weakens, they said force protection for US personnel and security around Gulf access would become the most immediate channel for escalation.