The United States State Department has unveiled a staggering bounty of USD 10 million for actionable intelligence on Iran's newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, marking a bold escalation in its campaign against Tehran's leadership.

This incentive, announced on Friday, extends to other senior figures including Iran's Interior Minister and the Minister of Intelligence and Security. It forms part of the longstanding "Rewards for Justice" programme, which compensates informants for tips leading to the capture or disruption of individuals linked to terrorism targeting American interests.

The timing of this move is no coincidence. It follows a dramatic intensification of hostilities in the region, triggered by coordinated US-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military installations earlier this month. 

Those precision strikes, dubbed Operation "Epic Fury," targeted key nuclear and missile sites, prompting swift Iranian retaliation on 28 February through waves of ballistic missiles and swarms of drones launched across the Middle East. The exchanges have now stretched into their second week, with daily volleys testing air defences from the Gulf to the Levant.

Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, assumed the supreme leadership role amid the chaos, a transition that Western intelligence agencies view with deep suspicion.

Long rumoured to wield influence behind the scenes through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), his elevation is seen as a desperate bid by hardliners to consolidate power. US officials describe him as a linchpin in Iran's proxy networks, allegedly orchestrating attacks via Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other militias that have menaced global shipping and US allies.

The Rewards for Justice social media alert cuts straight to the point: "Got information on these Iranian terrorist leaders? Send us a tip. It could make you eligible for a reward and relocation." This promise of financial reward plus safe passage underscores Washington's strategy to sow discord within Iran's opaque regime, appealing directly to disillusioned insiders amid economic strain and battlefield setbacks.

US President Donald Trump has seized the moment with characteristic bravado. During a virtual G7 summit on Wednesday, he reportedly boasted to world leaders that Iran is "about to surrender" under the weight of Operation "Epic Fury." Citing anonymous G7 officials via Axios, Trump framed the campaign as excising "a cancer that was threatening us all," while unleashing a tirade against Tehran's rulers as "deranged scumbags."

Trump's rhetoric paints a picture of total dominance. He described it as his "great honour" to dismantle the "terrorist regime of Iran" through unrelenting military pressure, vowing to press operations until victory.

This comes as satellite imagery reveals widespread destruction at Iranian bases, with estimates suggesting up to 40 per cent degradation of their missile arsenal. Yet Tehran vows defiance, with state media claiming successful intercepts and promises of asymmetric reprisals.

The bounty injects fresh uncertainty into an already volatile theatre. Analysts note that similar US programmes have yielded results in the past, such as tips leading to the demise of al-Qaeda figures. For Iran, however, the offer could exacerbate internal fractures, especially as public protests simmer over war costs and sanctions. Relocation incentives might tempt mid-level operatives privy to Khamenei's movements or succession plans.

Regionally, the stakes could not be higher. Israel's Iron Dome and US Patriot systems have blunted most Iranian salvos, but stray hits on civilian areas have ratcheted up calls for de-escalation. G7 allies, while supportive, urge restraint to avoid a broader conflagration drawing in Russia or China, both vocal backers of Tehran. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, meanwhile, quietly cheer the pressure on their rival.

As drone skirmishes persist, the $10 million carrot dangles amid the stick of airstrikes. Whether it prompts a defection or merely propaganda fodder remains to be seen, but it signals Washington's intent to personalise the fight. For Mojtaba Khamenei, stepping into his father's shadow under such a spotlight, the path ahead looks perilously short.

ANI