Key Points
- US offers up to $10 million for information on Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and senior IRGC officials.
- The reward targets 10 top Iranian military and intelligence figures linked to the IRGC.
- Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, after joint US-Israeli strikes in February.
- US accuses the IRGC of terrorism and plotting attacks against American officials, including former President Donald Trump.
- Videos show Ali Larijani attending a public rally in Tehran despite US claims that Iran’s leadership is “cowering underground.”
WASHINGTON: The United States has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on senior Iranian military and intelligence officials, including Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
According to the U.S. State Department, the reward covers 10 high-ranking figures connected to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a military force established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution tasked with protecting the clerical establishment and loyal to the supreme leader.
Mojtaba Khamenei recently succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28 that killed several senior Iranian officials.
The younger Khamenei, believed to have been injured in the strikes, has not appeared publicly, although he released his first statement on Thursday.
According to Reuters, in addition to the supreme leader, the reward seeks information on Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, and two officials from Khamenei’s office.
Four other IRGC figures, including the commander and secretary of the defence council, are also listed, though their identities remain undisclosed.
The move comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high.
The U.S. accuses the IRGC of orchestrating attacks that have killed American citizens and plotting retaliation against U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, following the 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
The IRGC has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
Despite U.S. assertions that Iran’s leadership is “cowering underground,” videos verified by Reuters show Ali Larijani attending a rally in Tehran alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Iranian authorities have not immediately responded to requests for comment.
The government regularly rejects U.S. terrorism claims as politically motivated, arguing that such allegations are used to justify pressure campaigns and sanctions against Tehran.
