00:03A chilling message has now come directly from Iran's military leadership — $30,000.
00:12That is the reward Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Major General Amir Hatami says could be paid
00:19for the capture or killing of an American service member Tehran considers an invader
00:26or aggressor.
00:27The statement was made publicly on August 16th and quickly amplified across Iranian state
00:34media.
00:34And it comes at a moment when tensions between Washington and Tehran are already dangerously
00:41high.
00:43This isn't just another threat exchanged between governments.
00:48It puts a price on the lives of U.S. troops operating in a region already on edge.
00:55Iran's Army Commander-in-Chief Major General Amir Hatami made the announcement during an
01:01event marking Journalists' Day.
01:04According to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, Hatami said a $30,000 reward would be offered
01:13to Iranian forces that capture or kill an American service member described as an invading or
01:20aggressor soldier.
01:26U.S. troops and military installations have repeatedly come under threat during the confrontation with
01:34Iran.
01:34And Iran has previously warned that American personnel could become targets if the conflict
01:41continues.
01:42Now, Hatami's statement appears to take that warning a step further.
01:47Instead of simply threatening retaliation, Tehran is publicly attaching a financial incentive to
01:54attacks against U.S. troops.
01:57The announcement also carries a powerful political message.
02:01Iran wants its population to see American forces as an occupying or invading threat.
02:09Hatami framed the reward as money coming from ordinary Iranians.
02:14That language attempts to portray attacks against U.S. personnel as an act of national resistance,
02:22rather than simply a military operation.
02:25The announcement does not appear to establish a conventional government bounty program with
02:31publicly released procedures for payment.
02:34Instead, it was presented as a reward backed by public participation.
02:39And this is not the first time Iranian rhetoric involved financial rewards for attacks on American
02:46targets.
02:47Earlier this year, a proposed measure discussed a massive reward connected to targeting President
02:53Donald Trump.
02:55That proposal reflected the extreme hostility surrounding the conflict.
03:00Washington, meanwhile, has maintained its own rewards program, targeting senior Iranian
03:06officials and individuals connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Corps.
03:11For American troops, the threat could be particularly serious in areas where security is already stretched.
03:18U.S. forces operate from bases, ships, and other military positions throughout the region.
03:25They also conduct missions that could put personnel closer to potential Iranian or Iran-aligned targets.
03:33There has been no immediate detailed public response from Washington to Hatami's announcement.
03:39But the United States has previously treated threats against its service members as a major security concern.
03:46And the timing is particularly dangerous.
03:50Iran and the United States remain locked in a confrontation involving military operations, sanctions, maritime tensions, and competing demands for
04:01an end to hostilities.
04:03For Iran, the message is clear.
04:06Iran says American forces will face consequences if they continue operating against it.
04:13For Washington, the challenge is equally clear.
04:17Protect American personnel without allowing another threat to spiral into a wider regional war.
04:24Major General Amir Hatami's $30,000 announcement may be presented as a reward from the Iranian people,
04:32but it carries the weight of a statement from Iran's military leadership.
04:38And now, every American commander in the region has another threat to calculate.
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