Iran offers $30,000 reward for killing or capturing US soldier

Iran’s army commander-in-chief, General Amir Hatami, has announced a $30,000 reward for anyone who kills or captures a US service member, according to Iranian news agency WANA.

Hatami said the money would be provided by “the Iranian people”, presenting the reward as a public initiative rather than a government programme.

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The announcement is the latest in a series of threats by Iranian officials against US and Israeli leaders and personnel.

In May, senior Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi said parliament was preparing a bill offering €50 million to anyone who kills US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper.

The latest announcement came as Cooper ended a 10-day trip to the Middle East, where he visited six countries and the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.

More than 50,000 US troops are currently stationed across the region as part of ongoing operations involving Iran.

The US has not formally responded to the latest threat.

Washington has previously imposed sanctions and filed criminal charges over alleged Iranian plots to assassinate US officials, including a reported $20 million reward for information about an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps operative accused of plotting to kill former US National Security Adviser John Bolton.

Trump has also warned Iran of severe consequences if any American is harmed.