The US has dangled up to $20 million for anyone able to supply information about Iran’s nuclear programme, a move that pairs financial incentive with a new military effort to choke off Tehran’s cross-border trade in weapons and sanctioned goods. The US reward for Iran nuclear details was announced through the State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme, which also said it could help relocate a person who comes forward.
The department said it wanted details on nuclear facilities, equipment and the people connected to them. It pointed to what it described as Iran’s failure to meet its safeguards duties to the International Atomic Energy Agency, saying that lapse had cost the agency its “continuity of knowledge” about how Iran produces and stocks key parts such as centrifuges.
Centrifuges are central to enriching uranium. The same technology can make fuel for civilian reactors or, at higher enrichment levels of roughly 90% purity and above, material for nuclear weapons. Iran has consistently said its nuclear activities are peaceful and that it does not intend to build a bomb.
Military side: Task Force Iron Gate
Separately, US Central Command said it is establishing a task force to sharpen Washington’s ability to stop Iran from moving weapons and sanctioned material across its borders. The unit, called Task Force Iron Gate, will be based in Tampa, Florida, and will coordinate with other US government agencies.
Its remit extends beyond weapons transfers to dual-use items and illicit revenue streams. Centcom also estimated that its naval blockade of Iranian ports has kept more than $25 billion worth of crude oil from being exported.
Strike talk and a possible deal
The announcements come amid continuing speculation about whether Washington might launch significant new strikes against Iran following the midterm elections. Before the vote, President Donald Trump told reporters he was in no hurry to act. In a Fox News interview on the eve of the midterms, he also referred to Pickaxe Mountain, an underground site tied to Iran’s nuclear programme, saying the US might need to target it and that the operation would not be a major undertaking and could be completed quickly. He has threatened to bomb the suspected site repeatedly in the past.
After the midterms, both Trump and Vice-President JD Vance attributed heavy Republican losses to public opposition to the war with Iran, feeding speculation that the White House may step back from escalation. On Friday, Trump said Iran was eager to end the eight-month conflict, citing the toll on Tehran’s economy and military. He said the two sides were now dealing with each other and that Iran wanted a deal badly.
Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that both sides were reviewing ideas and proposals presented by mediators, and that he remained hopeful an agreement could be reached.
Iranian negotiators had discussed with mediators a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days once the US met seven conditions, according to the account. The US and Iran reached a preliminary agreement in June to end the war and reopen the strait, but it fell apart within weeks after Iranian attacks on shipping resumed and the US reinstated its blockade.
