US Puts $20 Million on the Line for Intel on Iran's Nuclear Sites
Washington is seeking detailed information on Iranian enrichment capabilities and personnel, even as President Trump claims the program has been destroyed.
By Hassan Ellis ·
The United States State Department has placed a $20 million bounty on information regarding Iran's nuclear program. This move creates a direct tension with recent public statements by President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly asserted that Iran's nuclear capabilities have been completely obliterated.
The Rewards for Justice program, which manages the payout, is specifically seeking details on Iran's facilities, equipment, and associated personnel. In a post released on Friday, the program noted that informants may be offered relocation assistance. The offer comes at a time when Washington is actively engaged in military operations against Tehran, with President Trump ordering new strikes overnight that he described as minor.
Last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran was enriching uranium to 60% purity. An RFJ statement described this level as a short technical step from the 90% purity required for a nuclear weapon. The program stated that Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce uranium at such a high enrichment level. Experts cited in the statement estimate that this quantity, if enriched further, could provide enough material for several nuclear weapons.
The State Department also pointed to a loss of continuity in knowledge regarding Iran's production and inventory of key components like centrifuges. This gap in data is attributed to the regime's lack of compliance with the IAEA. This week, President Trump told reporters that the US might have to target Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected underground site where Israel believes Tehran stores part of its enriched uranium stockpile and advanced centrifuges.
Tehran has maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful and that it has the right to enrich uranium for energy purposes. In response to the US reward offer and recent strikes, Iran warned that any attack on its nuclear facilities would be treated as an expansion of the regional war. Mediators are currently attempting to broker an agreement, but both sides appear unwilling to shift on key red lines, with Tehran viewing the ability to enrich uranium as a matter of national sovereignty.
Military activity continues alongside these diplomatic efforts. Explosions were heard on Iran's Qeshm Island and in the southern port of Jask, according to Reuters citing Iranian media. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency initially reported that two missiles struck Qeshm Island but later cited a source saying the explosions were not related to missile strikes. In a separate development, the US Central Command has launched a task force to prevent Iran from accessing land routes used to transport advanced weapons and materials, alongside an existing naval blockade aimed at choking off Iran's oil industry.
