Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army, Amir Hatami. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Iran’s military announced on Sunday (August 16, 2026) that it was offering a bounty equivalent to $30,000 for killing or capturing U.S. soldiers, with the reward doubled if carried out by a woman.
Aslo Read: West Asia war updates on August 16
Army chief Amir Hatami said the plan had been drawn up following a “large number of requests” to participate, according to the IRNA state news agency.
There has been no known deployment of U.S. ground forces in Iran during the West Asia war, except for a rescue mission in April for a downed American airman.
Mr. Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place.
“Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” Mr. Hatami said, using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.
“Courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward,” he added.
Mr. Hatami repeated Iran’s call for the U.S. to leave West Asia, and said: “They no longer have permission to enter the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz”.
The war between Tehran and Washington began on February 28 when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
Just over a month into the war, the U.S. launched a massive rescue operation to retrieve the weapon systems officer of an F-15 jet, involving around 200 U.S. troops and more than 170 aircraft racing to find the airman ahead of Iranian forces.
During the rescue, Iranian troops damaged an A-10 ground attack aircraft, which was ditched over friendly territory. The U.S. also reportedly abandoned and destroyed aircraft used during the mission including a C-130 transport plane.
Days before, the pilot of the F-15 was rescued by a helicopter crew in a smaller operation. The war was later paused by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting, followed by a June framework for peace talks that later collapsed.
Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centred in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Indirect contact between the two sides via mediators has continued with little sign of any diplomatic breakthrough. Iran has also set out a list of demands for reopening the strait, including war damages.
The number of U.S. military personnel killed since the start of the war stands at 17, with the most recent deaths in July. They have all been killed outside of Iran, in countries including Jordan and Iraq.
Published – August 16, 2026 10:18 pm IST
