The US has announced a reward of up to $20 million for information about Iran’s nuclear programme. The State Department’s Rewards for Justice is also offering to potentially relocate the person who provides such details.President Donald Trump claimed last year that Iran’s nuclear facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated” following a bombing campaign by the US and Israel.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful and that it has no intention of developing a nuclear weapon.Meanwhile, the US military says it is setting up a task force to enhance Washington’s efforts to restrict Iran’s movement of weapons and sanctioned material across its borders.
The US military’s Central Command (Centcom) said Task Force Iron Gate would operate from Tampa, Florida, and would work with other US government agencies.As well as the movement of weapons, it will also focus on dual-use and illegal revenue streams.Centcom estimates that its naval blockade of Iran’s ports has prevented the country from exporting more than $25bn in crude oil.
A US State Department statement about its multi-million dollar reward said it was offering the money for information about the Iranian programme, including “facilities, equipment and associated personnel”.It said Iran’s “lack of compliance with the IAEA [the 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 [nuclear] centrifuges”.
Centrifuges are needed to produce enriched uranium, which can be used to make reactor fuel for civilian use but also for nuclear weapons if enriched to around 90% purity or higher.There had been mounting speculation that the US might resume significant strikes in Iran after the midterm elections, though Trump told reporters, prior to the polls, that he was in “no rush” to do so.
In an interview with Fox News on the eve of the midterms, the president also said the US “might need to go after Pickaxe [Mountain]”, an underground site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.This was “not a big deal” and could be done in “one hour”, Trump said.The president has repeatedly threatened to bomb the suspected underground site on previous occasions.
However, both Trump and Vice-President JD Vance have said public opposition to the war on Iran fuelled heavy losses for their Republican Party in this week’s midterm elections, which has led to speculation the White House may no longer seek an escalation in the conflict.On Friday, Trump insisted that Iran was keen to end the eight-month conflict with the US, stressing the damage to Tehran’s economy and military.”We’re dealing with them now. They want to make a deal very badly,” he said.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that both sides were “reviewing the ideas and proposals we have presented” and that it remained hopeful of a deal being agreed.Iranian negotiators had discussed with mediators a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days once the US met its seven conditions.The US and Iran reached a preliminary agreement to end the war and reopen the strait in June, but it collapsed within weeks after Iranian attacks on shipping resumed and the US reinstated its blockade.
