Washington, March 14 2026 (Agencies) – The United States has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information about senior leaders of Iran while simultaneously deploying additional military forces to the Middle East amid escalating regional tensions.
According to the US State Department, the reward targets 10 senior officials associated with Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The announcement comes as Washington increases pressure on Tehran following the intensifying conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
The State Department said the individuals “command and direct various elements of the IRGC,” which Washington accuses of planning and executing attacks and militant activities around the world. The IRGC, established after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, is considered one of the country’s most powerful military institutions and is directly loyal to the supreme leader.
Mojtaba Khamenei recently succeeded his father Ali Khamenei as Iran’s supreme leader after the elder leader was reportedly killed along with several senior officials in joint US and Israeli strikes that began on February 28. The younger Khamenei, believed to have been injured during the attacks, has not appeared publicly since but released his first statement earlier this week.
The reward list also includes Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and two officials from the office of the supreme leader.
Despite US claims that Iranian leadership is operating underground, Larijani was seen in videos circulating on Friday attending a rally in Tehran alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Meanwhile, the United States has also significantly increased its military presence in the region. A US official told media outlets that around 2,500 Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, along with the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli, have been ordered to move to the Middle East.
The deployment represents a major reinforcement of American forces in the region as tensions continue to escalate following recent military confrontations between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Washington has previously designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, accusing it of being responsible for attacks that have killed US citizens and for orchestrating international militant activities.
The United States has also accused Iran of planning assassination attempts against former US president Donald Trump and other American officials in retaliation for the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike in 2020.
Iran has repeatedly denied the allegations and rejects accusations of sponsoring terrorism, saying such claims are politically motivated and used by Washington to justify sanctions and pressure campaigns against the country.