Iran offers $30,000 bounty to capture or kill US soldiers

Iranian Army chief Amir Hatami has announced a bounty of $30,000 (5 billion tomans) for anyone who captures or kills a US soldier. The reward doubles to $60,000 if carried out by an Iranian woman. Hatami said the plan followed popular requests, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.

The announcement comes as a fragile US-Iran ceasefire, signed on June 17 under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, nears a 60-day deadline. The deal halted 40 days of fighting but has not led to a permanent solution. Sporadic clashes continue around the Strait of Hormuz. News.abplive.com reports Hatami claimed the US has lost military dominance and should withdraw from the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. The Times of India notes no US ground troops are deployed inside Iran, making the bounty largely symbolic.

Nearly 17 US military personnel have been killed since the conflict began, all outside Iran. Indirect talks between the two sides continue through mediators, but no diplomatic breakthrough has emerged.