Iran's army chief announced on Sunday a bounty of $30,000 — or five billion tomans in Iranian currency — for anyone who kills or captures a US military personnel, with the reward doubled if the act is carried out by a woman. General Amir Hatami, speaking through Iran's state news agency IRNA, said the plan had been drawn up in response to a "large number of requests" from people wishing to take part. He did not specify where or when such actions were expected to occur, nor did he provide any operational details.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of an ongoing conflict that began on 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iranian territory. After nearly 40 days of fighting, a ceasefire was reached in April, followed by a preliminary framework for peace talks in June — one that subsequently collapsed. Since then, the two sides have exchanged sporadic fire, with confrontations concentrated mainly in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes. Iran has kept the strait effectively blocked and set out a list of conditions for reopening it, including compensation for war damages.
Hatami also declared that US forces no longer have permission, from Tehran's perspective, to enter the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, or the Strait of Hormuz. To date, there has been no confirmed deployment of US ground forces inside Iran, with the sole exception of a large rescue operation in April involving around 200 troops and more than 170 aircraft sent to retrieve the weapon systems officer of a downed F-15 jet. During that mission, an American A-10 ground attack aircraft was damaged and ditched over friendly territory, and other aircraft used in the operation were reportedly abandoned and destroyed. A total of 17 US military personnel have been killed since the war began — all outside Iran, in countries including Jordan and Iraq — with the most recent deaths recorded in July.
Navigation through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed sharply in recent days. Shipping-tracking data from analytics firm Kpler showed only five cargo vessels transiting the strait on Saturday and none on Sunday, compared with 31 vessels the previous weekend. The slowdown followed attacks on three tankers operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which the United Arab Emirates confirmed were struck while transiting last week. Before the war, more than 130 ships passed through the strait daily.
Indirect contacts between Tehran and Washington through mediators have continued, but with little sign of a diplomatic breakthrough. The situation underscores how the conflict, now in its sixth month, continues to reverberate well beyond Iran's borders — disrupting global energy flows and drawing in neighbouring states, while both sides show no clear path toward a negotiated settlement.