The United States has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information about several high-ranking Iranian military and intelligence figures, including Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
According to the website of the United States Department of State, the offer targets ten individuals linked to Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC was formed after the Iranian Revolution and operates as a key military and security institution tasked with safeguarding the Islamic Republic and its clerical leadership.
The reward announcement follows major developments in Iran’s leadership. Mojtaba Khamenei assumed the role of Supreme Leader after his father Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed along with several senior Iranian officials during coordinated strikes launched by the United States and Israel beginning on 28 February.
Reports indicate that Mojtaba Khamenei may have been injured in those attacks and has not appeared publicly since, although he issued his first official statement earlier this week.
Besides the new supreme leader, Washington’s reward offer also seeks information regarding several prominent Iranian figures, including security chief Ali Larijani, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni. Two senior officials serving in Khamenei’s office are also included among those targeted.
Despite US claims that Iran’s leadership has been forced into hiding, Ali Larijani appeared publicly on Friday. Verified video footage showed him attending a rally in Tehran alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. His appearance came shortly after remarks by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who suggested that Iran’s leadership was “cowering” underground amid the ongoing conflict.
The State Department list also includes four additional officials connected to the IRGC, among them the commander of the organisation and the secretary of Iran’s defence council, although their names and photographs have not yet been publicly disclosed.
In its statement, the State Department accused the IRGC of coordinating and executing terrorist activities across the globe, saying the targeted individuals play key roles in directing the organisation’s operations.
Officials from the IRGC were not immediately available for comment on Friday, which is the weekly day of rest in Iran. Meanwhile, Iran’s diplomatic mission to the United Nations in New York did not respond to requests for comment.
Washington has long designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, accusing it of involvement in attacks that have resulted in the deaths of American citizens. US officials have also alleged that Iran has supported assassination plots targeting Donald Trump and other American figures, claiming the plans were intended as retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
Iranian authorities have consistently rejected these accusations. Officials in Tehran regularly argue that US allegations of terrorism are politically motivated and are used to justify sanctions, diplomatic pressure and military actions against the country.
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