US offers up to $20m for information on Iran’s nuclear programme

The United States has offered a reward of up to $20m for information about Iran’s nuclear programme, with the possibility of relocating people who provide useful details. The initiative is being administered through the State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme. The offer covers information about facilities, equipment and associated personnel, including members of Iran’s scientific community, as well as the movement of relevant items and people, according to the US statement reported by the BBC and Euronews.

The State Department said Iran’s failure to comply with International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards obligations had caused the agency to lose “continuity of knowledge” about the production and inventory of key components such as centrifuges. Those machines can produce enriched uranium for civilian reactor fuel and, at much higher levels of enrichment, material usable in nuclear weapons. Washington’s announcement comes amid the continuing conflict between the United States and Iran and negotiations over a possible settlement.

Euronews reported that the war began in late February after US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The BBC said the conflict had lasted eight months and that previous efforts to reach an agreement had broken down after Iranian attacks on shipping and the restoration of a US blockade. The reward offer sits alongside wider US efforts to restrict Iran’s access to weapons, sanctioned materials and revenue.

The US military’s Central Command said it was establishing Task Force Iron Gate in Tampa, Florida, to coordinate with other government agencies on those activities. Centcom also claims that a naval blockade of Iranian ports has prevented more than $25bn in crude oil exports. That figure is a US military estimate and was not independently confirmed in the supplied reports.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that US and Israeli attacks destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities. In remarks reported by Euronews, he said Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon and was “not close”. The BBC also reported that Trump has discussed a possible strike on Pickaxe Mountain, an underground site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, while saying he was in no rush to resume major attacks.

Iran rejects the US characterisation of its activities and insists that its nuclear programme is peaceful and not intended to produce a weapon. Euronews reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government was continuing efforts to resolve the conflict through dialogue. Qatar, which is involved in mediation, said the United States and Iran were reviewing proposals it had presented and that it remained hopeful of an agreement.

Iranian negotiators had discussed reopening the Strait of Hormuz within two days of the US meeting seven conditions, according to the BBC. The reports say a preliminary agreement reached in June collapsed within weeks. The reward announcement therefore combines intelligence-gathering with pressure on Iran’s nuclear and military networks, while diplomatic contacts remain active.

The supplied accounts do not say whether the offer has already produced information or whether a new agreement is imminent.