By SCM International Desk I Tuesday, August 25, 2026
WASHINGTON — The State Department announced a reward of up to $10 million for actionable intelligence targeting high-ranking commanders within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and senior officials in the immediate circle of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The move, executed through the Diplomatic Security Service’s Rewards for Justice program, signals a sharp escalation in Washington’s strategic campaign to disrupt Tehran’s foreign operations, intelligence apparatus, and internal leadership mechanisms.
Officials stated that the bounty aims at individuals responsible for planning, directing, and executing asymmetric military operations, cyberattacks, and targeted assassinations abroad.
Washington directly accuses the named figures of orchestrating acts of terrorism globally and authorizing lethal strikes against American service members, diplomatic personnel, and international allies.
Targeting the Core of the Regime
While previous sanctions and reward notices primarily focused on regional proxy leaders or specific operational commanders, this bounty targets figures closely tied to the Supreme Leader’s inner council.
According to State Department counterterrorism officials, the targeted leadership network operates at the intersection of state policy and covert operations. By offering financial incentives alongside relocation assistance and identity protection for informants, Washington aims to exploit internal vulnerabilities, incentivize defections, and fracture intelligence networks within Tehran’s security infrastructure.
”The IRGC continues to serve as the primary instrument for state-sponsored terrorism, destabilizing the Middle East and planning attacks targeting Americans abroad,” the State Department said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “This reward program is designed to disrupt that command chain and hold key decision-makers accountable.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was established shortly after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution to safeguard the foreign and domestic integrity of the clerical regime. Over four decades, the paramilitary force has grown into Iran’s dominant military institution, operating independently of the regular armed forces and controlling large sectors of the national economy.
Through its elite Quds Force, the IRGC has systematically constructed a network of regional allies and proxies across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. The United States designated the entire IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in April 2019—the first time Washington applied the designation to an arm of a foreign government.
The announcement builds upon long-standing U.S. counterterrorism efforts following years of heightened conflict. Tensions escalated dramatically after the January 2020 targeted strike that killed Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.
Since then, Washington has maintained aggressive sanction enforcement alongside targeted rewards aimed at dismantling the IRGC’s financial mechanisms, illicit oil export operations, and military hardware supply chains.
Policy analysts view the standard $10 million reward cap as an operational tool intended to heighten paranoia within the Iranian security apparatus rather than an expectation of immediate apprehension.
By publicly signaling intelligence interest in the Supreme Leader’s administrative office, U.S. officials complicate internal communication lines and raise the security footprint required for Iranian officials traveling internationally.
The State Department confirmed that information submitted to the Rewards for Justice portal remains confidential, offering potential informants secure communication channels via encrypted messaging applications and specialized security measures.
