The United States is offering a reward of up to $20 million, along with possible relocation, for information about Iran’s nuclear programme, the US military said on Friday.
The offer was announced by US Central Command in a post on X. It comes from the State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme, which was established in 1984 to offer payments for information that protects American lives and interests.
The programme is seeking information about Iran’s nuclear facilities, equipment and associated personnel — including members of the scientific community — as well as the movement of any of these, Central Command said.
In its statement, the State Department said Iran’s failure to comply with its safeguards obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had led to the agency losing ‘continuity of knowledge’ about Iran’s production and inventory of key components such as centrifuges. The US government did not specify what information would qualify for the maximum $20 million reward.
The announcement comes despite President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that US strikes have effectively destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities. The IAEA reported last year that Iran was enriching uranium to 60% purity, described in the Rewards for Justice statement as a short technical step from the 90% required for a nuclear weapon.
Trump said on Friday night that Tehran wants to make a deal to end the war, which is now in its eighth month, and mediators are working to prevent any resumption of fighting. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said this week his government was still trying to resolve the crisis through dialogue.
Source: The Hindu (https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/united-states-offers-20-million-reward-for-information-on-irans-nuclear-program-centcom/article71677324.ece).
