America just put a bounty on Iran's own nuclear programme
13 hours ago · 7 November 2026Share
The U.S. Department of State seal is seen by the entrance to the lobby of the Harry S. Truman building in Washington, D.C. File photo. U.S. Department of State · Public domain
America just put a price on Iran's nuclear secrets.
Up to $20 million. Plus relocation.
The US Central Command announced it a few hours ago, through the State Department's Rewards for Justice programme. They want information on Iran's nuclear facilities, its equipment, its staff — including the scientists — and where any of them move to.
CENTCOM posted it on X this evening, US time.
Now, this programme isn't new. The State Department set it up back in 1984. It pays for tips that protect American lives and interests. It's been doing that for more than forty years.
So why now? The State Department says Iran hasn't followed the International Atomic Energy Agency's safeguards rules. And because of that, the IAEA has lost what it calls "continuity of knowledge" about Iran's centrifuges and other nuclear parts.
In plain English: nobody outside Iran knows for sure where everything is anymore.
There's no figure attached to what exact piece of information gets you the full $20 million.
And here's the contradiction. Donald Trump has said, over and over, that US strikes already obliterated Iran's nuclear programme. He said it again this evening, talking to reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Donald Trump says quote "They would have obliterated the Middle East."
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Aerial photo of a nuclear power plant southeast of Orlando. File photo. formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0
So if it's already destroyed, why does Washington need $20 million of fresh intelligence on it?
And this landed on a busy night. Iranian state media reported two missile strikes on the Suza area of Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, overnight. Iran's army says its air defences shot down a US MQ-9 drone over that same island in the early hours of this morning, local time.
Donald Trump confirmed the US carried out strikes there. He called them minor. He said one of them knocked out an Iranian anti-aircraft system in minutes. CENTCOM told Al Jazeera the situation on Qeshm Island was "relatively calm" and had nothing further to add.
Donald Trump also says talks with Iran are moving. He says quote "We've made a lot of progress with Iran." No details given. He separately said Iran wants to make a deal.
Earlier this week he said he still had one or two targets left, including a site he calls "Pickaxe Mountain" in central Iran. The US suspects it's a nuclear facility. Iran denies that.
Iran's side? It says it's still trying to talk. Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's President, said earlier this week his government is still working to resolve the crisis through dialogue. One Iranian official has said Tehran is reviewing a proposal brought by Qatar, the mediator between the two countries — though only one outlet has reported that so far.
This is the first round of US strikes since Donald Trump's Republican Party took a heavy defeat in this week's midterm elections. Trump has blamed the losses on the Iran war itself. And the region has been on edge since the vote, wondering if he'll escalate instead of winding this down.
So right now, the two sides aren't speaking the same language. Washington is talking progress while offering a reward for spies inside Iran's nuclear programme — and bombing Iranian territory at the same time. Iran is talking dialogue while its military shoots down American drones overnight.
Nobody knows if this reward will produce any real intelligence. Nobody knows how Iran will respond to the announcement itself. And it isn't clear whether Iran's review of Qatar's proposal has anything to do with the bounty, or whether these are two completely separate tracks.
For now, Iran's nuclear programme is two things at once. Something Donald Trump says is already gone. And something his own government is paying $20 million to find out more about.
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