The Iran nuclear reward offers up to $20 million, along with possible relocation, for information about Iran’s nuclear programme, including its facilities, equipment and the scientists who work on it.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) publicised the offer on Friday in a post on X, saying the State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme was seeking the information. The programme, run by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, has offered rewards for information that protects American lives and interests since 1984.
The offer covers nuclear facilities, equipment and associated personnel, including members of the scientific community, as well as the movement of any of these. Tips can be sent through the programme’s website, including through Telegram, Signal and the Tor browser.
What the Iran nuclear reward covers
The reward is aimed at the heart of the programme. The notice seeks details of nuclear sites and the equipment inside them, the scientists and staff who run them, and any movement of sites, equipment or people linked to the work.
The $20 million figure is a ceiling, not a fixed payment. The announcement did not say what kind of information would qualify for the full amount, and rewards under the programme are subject to review and the discretion of the Secretary of State.
The offer is unusual. Rewards for Justice normally pays for information used to track down terrorists and cut off terrorist financing. It is rare for the United States to attach a reward to information on a country’s nuclear programme itself.
Why Washington says it needs the information
The State Department said Iran’s lack of compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on safeguards has led the agency to lose “continuity of knowledge” over Iran’s production and stock of key parts such as centrifuges.
The IAEA reported in 2025 that Iran was enriching uranium to 60 per cent purity, a short technical step from the roughly 90 per cent needed for a nuclear weapon. Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state known to produce uranium at that level. The stockpile, if enriched further, could be enough for several weapons.
That gap in the agency’s knowledge is the stated reason for the reward. Washington wants fresh detail on what Iran still holds, where its equipment sits and who runs the programme.
A year after the “destroyed” claim
The offer comes a year after President Donald Trump claimed US and Israeli strikes had destroyed or obliterated Iran’s nuclear sites. Trump has since said Tehran wants a deal to end the war, and diplomatic efforts to secure an agreement continue.
The new reward shows Washington is still hunting fresh intelligence on what remains of the programme. The contrast between the claim that the sites were destroyed and a $20 million offer for information about them underlines how much the United States still does not know.
The wider pressure campaign
The reward is the latest step in a US pressure campaign that has built up over recent weeks. Washington has moved to blockade Iranian oil shipments by sea and set up Task Force Iron Gate to restrict Iranian land commerce alongside the naval blockade.
Iran has said its forces are stronger than at the start of the war and that the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until its demands are met. A tanker hit a mine and caught fire near Hormuz, in a reminder of how exposed shipping in the Gulf remains.
For Pakistan, the stakes run through the Gulf. Feature Pakistan’s earlier explainer looked at what a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would mean for Pakistan, and the US-Pakistan channel has stayed active, with Vice President JD Vance in contact with Field Marshal Asim Munir over the crisis.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rewards for Justice?
Rewards for Justice is a US State Department programme, run by the Diplomatic Security Service and set up in 1984. It offers financial rewards for information that protects American lives and interests, most often about terrorism and terrorist financing.
What information is the US seeking?
The programme wants information about Iran’s nuclear facilities, equipment and associated personnel, including members of the scientific community, as well as the movement of any of these.
Does anyone who sends a tip get $20 million?
No. The $20 million is the maximum on offer, not a fixed payment. The announcement did not say what information would earn the full amount, and rewards are subject to review and the Secretary of State’s discretion.
Why is the reward offered now?
The State Department says the IAEA has lost track of Iran’s production and stock of key nuclear parts, including centrifuges, because Iran has not complied with its safeguards obligations. The reward seeks fresh intelligence a year after the US claimed Iran’s nuclear sites had been destroyed.
