Tehran: Iran’s military announced on Sunday that it would be offering a $30,000 reward for killing or capturing US soldiers, with the bounty doubled if conducted by a woman.

According to France24.com, this bold move comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, as both nations continue to be embroiled in a conflict that commenced with an attack by the US and Israel on February 28.

Army chief Amir Hatami detailed that the incentive plan was formulated following what he described as a “large number of requests” from individuals eager to participate. Despite these claims, there has been no deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the ongoing Middle East conflict, except for a rescue mission in April aimed at retrieving a downed American airman.

Hatami refrained from specifying when or where such acts against US soldiers were anticipated to occur. He stated, “Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,00
0 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” referring to an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials. Moreover, Hatami emphasized that “courageous Iranian women who carry out such an action will receive double the reward.”

In his announcement, Hatami reiterated Iran’s demands for US forces to exit the Middle East, asserting that “they no longer have permission to enter the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, or the Strait of Hormuz.” This stance underscores the ongoing hostilities, which resumed sporadically after an initial ceasefire in April and subsequent collapsed peace talks in June.

Following the onset of the war, the US undertook a large-scale rescue operation in April involving approximately 200 troops and more than 170 aircraft. This mission succeeded in retrieving the weapon systems officer of an F-15 jet but resulted in the loss and destruction of several aircraft, including an A-10 ground attack aircraft and a C-130 transport plane.

Despite a temporary pause in fighting
, indirect contact between Iran and the US through mediators has shown little progress toward a diplomatic resolution. Iran’s list of demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz includes war damages, yet hostilities persist, with skirmishes concentrated mainly in southern Iran and around the strategic waterway.

Since the conflict began, 17 US military personnel have been killed, with the most recent fatalities occurring in July outside of Iran, in countries such as Jordan and Iraq.