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Bounty Announcement
Iran’s military announced on Sunday that it was offering a bounty equivalent to $30,000 for killing or capturing US soldiers, with the reward doubled if carried out by a woman.
“offering a bounty equivalent to $30,000 for killing or capturing US soldiers”
Army chief Amir Hatami said the plan had been drawn up following a "large number of requests" to participate in the financial support, according to the IRNA state news agency.
Hatami said, "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," using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.
He added, "Courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward," while also not providing details on where or when the killing or capturing was expected to take place.
The announcement came as the war between Tehran and Washington began on February 28 after the United States, joined by Israel, attacked Iran, and fighting since then has been centered in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
US, Trump, and Criticism
In parallel with Iran’s bounty offer, Republican Rep. Don Bacon told CBS’ Face the Nation that President Donald Trump may have set "false expectations" in the early stages of the Iran war by repeatedly suggesting a deal was close.
Bacon said, "This is going to be a tough fight, and we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon," and he criticized Trump for making light of affordability concerns and the extended deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The France 24 report on the bounty said Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place, and it noted there has been no known deployment of US ground troops in Iran during the war except for a rescue mission in April.
France 24 also reported that Hatami repeated Iran’s call for the US to leave the Middle East and said "they no longer have permission to enter the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz".
The same France 24 account described the war as beginning on February 28, pausing after nearly 40 days of fighting with an April ceasefire, and then shifting to a June framework for peace talks that later collapsed.
Hormuz Stakes and Deadlines
Iran’s bounty announcement was framed alongside renewed pressure over the Strait of Hormuz, where the conflict has been centered and where Iran said it would not allow the US to restore prior posture.
“"The Strait of Hormuz cannot be taken by force by a tweet, a carrier, an order, or an election speech,"”
In a statement carried by TRT Español, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gazem Gharibabadi said, "The Strait of Hormuz cannot be taken by force by a tweet, a carrier, an order, or an election speech," and he added that Tehran does not fear threats.
TRT Español also reported that Trump had said, "after we finish defeating Iran, which is being decisively defeated, I will very soon declare the Strait of Hormuz to be U.S. territory," a claim Iran rejected.
Univision reported that the statement came 24 hours before a 60-day deadline established in a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States expires, and it said Iran’s foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani (Abbas Araghchi) stated on Friday, August 14 that the memorandum represented "the end of the war, not a ceasefire."
Univision further asserted that Iran’s military body said it would not yield to Washington until achieving its "complete defeat," while the Iranian General Staff claimed it had managed to "bring to their knees" leaders of what it called the "most equipped army in the world," referring to the United States.
