(AFP) – Washington is offering a $20 million reward “and possible relocation” for information about Iran’s nuclear program, the US military said Friday, as President Donald Trump reiterated Tehran wants to make a deal to end the war.
A State Department program, Rewards for Justice, “is offering a reward of up to $20 million and possible relocation for information about Iran’s nuclear program, including its facilities, equipment, and associated personnel, such as those in the scientific community,” US Central Command said on X. The program was established in 1984 under the State Department’s national security rewards program to offer money for information that protects American lives and interests.
In its statement about the reward, the State Department said Iran’s “lack of compliance with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) on safeguards obligations has led to the agency’s loss of ‘continuity of knowledge’ regarding Iran’s production and inventory of key components like centrifuges. It gave no specific parameters on what information would yield a $20 million reward.
Trump has repeatedly said US forces have effectively obliterated Iran’s nuclear program. “If we didn’t hit Iran, you wouldn’t have Israel today,” Trump said Friday night in West Palm Beach, Florida. “If they had nuclear, they would have used nuclear. They would have obliterated the Middle East.”
But the president also said Iran — which he stressed has had its economy and military severely damaged over eight months of war — is eager to end the conflict. “We’re dealing with them now. They want to make a deal very badly,” he said.
Diplomatic efforts by mediators have been in full swing in an attempt to prevent any resumption of fighting. And on Tuesday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government was still trying to resolve the crisis through dialogue.
Earlier this week, Trump said he still had to “take care” of one or two targets, including so-called Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran, a suspected nuclear site which Tehran denies is such a facility.
© 2024 AFP
