The United States has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or disruption of senior Iranian military and intelligence officials, including Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.
The offer, published on the website of the United States Department of State, targets 10 individuals linked to Iran’s powerful security apparatus, particularly members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Targeting Senior Iranian Leadership
According to the State Department, the officials being sought are believed to command and coordinate activities of the IRGC, which Washington accuses of planning and carrying out operations internationally.
“The individuals command and direct various elements of the IRGC, which plans, organizes and executes terrorism around the world,” the department said in a statement on its rewards program website.
The IRGC, established after the Iranian Revolution, operates as an elite military and intelligence force loyal to the country’s supreme leader and tasked with protecting the Shi’ite clerical establishment that governs Iran.
Leadership Change After Khamenei’s Death
The reward announcement comes amid heightened tensions following the death of Iran’s long-time supreme leader Ali Khamenei during joint military strikes by the United States and Israel that began on February 28.
His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, subsequently assumed the role of supreme leader. Reports indicate he was injured during the attacks and has not appeared publicly since, although he released a statement on Thursday.
Additional Officials Sought
Besides Mojtaba Khamenei, the reward program lists several senior figures within Iran’s security and intelligence structure, including:
- Ali Larijani, Iran’s security chief
- Esmail Khatib
- Eskandar Momeni
- Two senior officials within the office of the supreme leader
The website also references four additional officials, including the commander of the IRGC and the secretary of Iran’s defense council, though their names and images were not publicly listed.
Despite the reward announcement, Larijani appeared in verified video footage on Friday attending a rally in Tehran alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
The appearance contradicted earlier remarks by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had claimed Iran’s leadership was “cowering” underground amid the escalating conflict.
Longstanding U.S.–Iran Dispute
Washington formally designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, accusing the group of supporting attacks that have killed American citizens and of coordinating militant activities abroad.
U.S. officials have also alleged that Iran attempted to orchestrate assassination plots against Donald Trump and other American officials in retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq.
Iran has consistently rejected accusations that it sponsors terrorism. Iranian authorities routinely describe such allegations as politically motivated claims used by Washington to justify sanctions and pressure campaigns against the country.
Escalating Geopolitical Tensions
The reward announcement highlights the deepening confrontation between Washington and Tehran, which has intensified since the outbreak of hostilities in late February. Analysts warn that the standoff could further destabilize the region as military operations and political pressure continue to mount.
