WASHINGTON: The United States is offering a reward of up to $20 million, along with possible relocation, for information about Iran’s nuclear programme, including its facilities, equipment and associated personnel, the US military said on Friday, despite President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that American strikes have effectively obliterated Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.
The State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme is seeking information about Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including facilities, equipment and individuals associated with the programme, particularly members of its scientific community. It is also seeking information about the movement of any of these, according to its official notice.
“Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $20 million and possible relocation for information about Iran’s nuclear programme, including its facilities, equipment, and associated personnel, such as those in the scientific community,” US Central Command said in a statement posted on X.
The programme was established in 1984 under the State Department’s national security rewards initiative to offer financial incentives for information that protects American lives and interests.
In its statement announcing the reward, the State Department cited Iran’s failure to comply with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards obligations, saying this had led to the agency losing “continuity of knowledge” about Iran’s production and inventory of key nuclear components, including centrifuges.
The department’s notice also referred to the IAEA’s 2025 reporting that Iran was enriching uranium to 60% purity, a level that is technically close to the 90% generally associated with weapons-grade uranium.
Iran is the only state without nuclear weapons to have produced uranium at such a high enrichment level, according to the notice. It added that experts estimated the quantity could be sufficient for several nuclear weapons if enriched further.
The US government did not specify what particular information would qualify for the maximum $20 million reward.
Trump has repeatedly said US forces have effectively obliterated Iran’s nuclear programme.
“If we didn’t hit Iran, you wouldn’t have Israel today,” Trump said on Friday night in West Palm Beach, Florida. “If they had nuclear, they would have used nuclear. They would have obliterated the Middle East.”
The president also said Iran’s economy and military had been severely damaged during eight months of war, arguing that Tehran was now eager to end the conflict through an agreement.
“We’re dealing with them now. They want to make a deal very badly,” he said.
His remarks came as diplomatic efforts by regional mediators continued in an attempt to prevent fighting from resuming.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that his government was still seeking to resolve the crisis through dialogue.
Earlier this week, Trump said Washington still had to “take care” of one or two targets in Iran, including Pickaxe Mountain in the country’s centre. The site is suspected of being a nuclear facility, although Tehran denies that it serves such a purpose.
