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

Iran's military said on Sunday it would pay a reward equivalent to $30,000 to anyone who kills or captures and hands over a US soldier, and would double the payment if the act is carried out by a woman.

Army chief Amir Hatami said the plan followed what he called a “large number of requests” to participate, according to Iran's IRNA state news agency. He did not say where or when such killings or captures were expected to take place.

Hatami also repeated Iran's call for the United States to leave the Middle East, saying American forces “no longer have permission” to enter the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman or the Strait of Hormuz.

AFP reported there has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the Middle East war, except for an April rescue mission for a downed American airman. The number of US military personnel killed since the start of the war stands at 17, with the most recent deaths in July, and all were killed outside Iran, including in Jordan and Iraq.

The war between Tehran and Washington began on February 28 when the United States and Israel attacked Iran. An April ceasefire paused nearly 40 days of fighting, and a June framework for peace talks later collapsed. Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz. Indirect contact through mediators has continued, with little sign of a diplomatic breakthrough.