The United States is offering a reward of up to $20 million for information about Iran’s nuclear program, despite US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims to have obliterated Tehran’s capabilities.
Rewards for Justice (RFJ), a State Department program, is seeking tips on Iran’s nuclear facilities, equipment and associated personnel, the program said in a Friday social media post, which stated that relocation may be offered to informants.
During the 12-day conflict last year, Trump was quick to declare that Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated.” He kept up this assessment on several occasions after and attacked media organizations — including CNN — for challenging the claim.
This year’s conflict saw the US and Israel again attack Iranian nuclear sites, and Trump has made fresh claims to have tackled Iran’s threat, telling reporters on Friday that “if we didn’t hit Iran, you wouldn’t have Israel today.”
But the State Department’s move — and independent assessments — suggest that concerns remain over Iran’s program, which Tehran has always insisted is peaceful.
Last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran was enriching uranium to 60% purity which is “a short technical step from the 90% required for a nuclear weapon,” according to an RFJ statement.
“Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce uranium at such a high enrichment level. Experts estimate this quantity, if enriched further, could be enough for several nuclear weapons,” it said.
It also referred to a “loss of continuity of knowledge regarding Iran’s production and inventory of key components like centrifuges” due to the regime’s lack of compliance with the IAEA.
Preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon has been stated as a key objective for Washington’s war with Iran. This week, President Donald Trump repeated claims that the US “might have to go after” Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, the suspected underground nuclear site where Israel believes Tehran has stored part of its enriched uranium stockpile and advanced enrichment centrifuges.
In response, Iran warned that that any US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be treated as an expansion of the war in the region. Tehran maintains that it has the right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, including enrichment.
RFJ has also offered rewards for information on senior Iranian regime figures since the war began in February.
Iran’s hardliners see a weakened Trump – and want more to end the war
Mediators are continuing to try to broker an agreement between Iran and the US but both sides appear unwilling to shift on key red lines, with Tehran seeing the ability to enrich uranium a matter of national sovereignty.
Trump ordered new strikes on Iran overnight, describing them as “minor”.
In a separate development, CENTCOM has launched a task force with the intention of preventing Iran from accessing land routes that might facilitate the transportation of advanced weapons and other materials.
A naval blockade is already in place as part of US efforts to choke off Iran’s vital oil industry.
