In a major escalation of the Middle East conflict, the United States State Department has placed a staggering $10 million bounty on Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, according to a report by The Economic Times. This aggressive move, launched through the "Rewards for Justice" initiative, offers financial compensation and potential relocation for intelligence leading to the identification or location of Khamenei and several other high-ranking Iranian officials.
The updated wanted list also features the Iranian interior minister and the minister of intelligence and security. The State Department justified the move by stating these individuals direct elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Washington accuses of executing global terrorism. A blunt social media update from the program invited tipsters to come forward, noting that information could make them eligible for a significant reward.
This development follows an intense week of regional hostilities sparked by coordinated US-Israeli strikes on February 28, which targeted Iranian military infrastructure. In the wake of these strikes, US President Donald Trump claimed during a virtual G7 summit that the Iranian government is "about to surrender." The Economic Times noted that the President described the military campaign, dubbed "Operation Epic Fury," as having successfully eliminated a "cancer" that threatened global security.
As the conflict enters its second week with ongoing missile and drone exchanges, the President launched a scathing verbal attack on Tehran’s leadership, labeling them "deranged scumbags." Trump asserted that it was his "great honor" to dismantle the regime, maintaining that Washington’s military operations are designed to fully destroy what he described as the terrorist government of Iran.
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