United States offers $10 million reward for information on Iran leader

Saturday 14 March 2026 - 10:20

By: Dakir Madiha

United States offers $10 million reward for information on Iran leader

The United States has announced a reward of up to 10 million dollars for information about Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and several senior Iranian officials, intensifying pressure on Tehran’s leadership as the conflict involving Iran enters its third week.

The US State Department revealed the reward on Friday through its Rewards for Justice program. The offer targets Mojtaba Khamenei along with nine senior Iranian officials believed to be involved in directing the country’s security and intelligence apparatus.

Among those named are Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, deputy chief of staff Ali Asghar Hejazi, senior military adviser Yahya Rahim Safavi, and security official Ali Larijani. Four additional positions were listed without specific individuals identified, including the commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the secretary of Iran’s Supreme Defense Council.

According to the Rewards for Justice program, the officials are accused of directing elements of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Washington says plans and carries out acts of terrorism globally.

The US government encouraged individuals with relevant information to submit tips through encrypted channels including Tor and Signal. The announcement said informants could qualify for both relocation assistance and a financial reward.

The reward was announced amid uncertainty surrounding Mojtaba Khamenei’s condition and whereabouts. The 56 year old cleric has not appeared publicly since Iran’s Assembly of Experts selected him on March 9 to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ali Khamenei was killed during a US Israeli strike on a leadership complex in Tehran on February 28, according to reports cited by US and Israeli officials.

The New York Times reported, citing Iranian and Israeli officials, that Mojtaba Khamenei sustained leg injuries during the first day of the conflict. Speaking at a Pentagon briefing on Friday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the new Iranian leader was wounded and possibly disfigured.

Hegseth described Khamenei as injured, in hiding, and lacking legitimacy following his father’s death. Iranian authorities have not officially confirmed or denied the extent of his injuries. However, Iranian state television referred to him as a “janbaz,” a term used for wounded war veterans, shortly after his appointment.

Earlier in the week, Mojtaba Khamenei released his first public message since assuming leadership. The statement was distributed in written form and read by a presenter on Iranian state television rather than delivered directly by audio or video.

In the statement, he vowed retaliation against the United States and said Iran would continue restricting passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Al Jazeera, at least 1,444 people have been killed and more than 18,500 injured in Iran since the start of US and Israeli strikes on February 28. Washington and Tel Aviv say the attacks are targeting military and nuclear infrastructure, while Iranian officials accuse them of striking civilian locations.