Iran’s Army Chief, Major General Amir Hatami, has announced a $30,000 reward for any Iranian citizen who kills or captures U.S. military personnel. He stated that women who carry out such acts would receive double the amount.
Speaking in Tehran on Sunday during a ceremony marking Journalists’ Day, Hatami said the reward scheme would be funded by Iranian citizens and guaranteed by the Iranian Army.
“With the participation and financial backing of the people, a plan has been prepared under which any individual who kills or captures and hands over an aggressor American force will receive, from the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans,” Hatami said, according to T
urkey Today
“Courageous Iranian women who succeed in this act will receive double the reward.”
Hatami also announced an additional incentive: weapons used in such an attack would be bought back by authorities at twice their original value and replaced with a new weapon.
“Americans must know that this is Iran, and if they make a mistake, they will become a lesson for others throughout history,” he warned.
The army chief also issued remarks on the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as a “God-given geopolitical asset” for Iran.
“The sacred Strait of Hormuz is a God-given geopolitical asset for the Iranian nation, and this leverage will never return to its previous state,” he said. “We will protect this capacity with all our strength, on the order of the supreme commander-in-chief.”
Hatami declared that U.S. forces would no longer be permitted to operate in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, or the Strait of Hormuz.
“Americans are not permitted to enter the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz. The expulsion of the United States has been carried out,” he stated.
He also responded to earlier remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding U.S. control of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The criminal president of America says he wants to declare the Strait of Hormuz part of the land of crime; you are very wrong!” Hatami said. “After seeing the reactions, he said he was joking. That joke, too, is a serious mistake, because this is Iran, and it has guardians who will break the pen in your hand.”
The statements come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.