US State Dept posts $10M bounty on Mojtaba Khamenei and top IRGC officials

The US Department of State's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) programme posted a reward of up to $10 million for information on what it described as "Iranian terrorist leaders," including Mojtaba Khamenei — Iran's newly installed Supreme Leader — as well as Larijani and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, and other senior figures linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The @RFJ_USA account tweeted on March 13, 2026: "Got information on these Iranian terrorist leaders? Send us a tip. It could make you eligible for a reward and relocation." The announcement is legally and politically significant. The Rewards for Justice programme is designed for counter-terrorism targets, not foreign heads of state. By listing Khamenei under the RFJ programme, the US is formally classifying Iran's Supreme Leader as a terrorist, not a legitimate government official — a posture that forecloses certain diplomatic avenues and signals that targeting Khamenei himself is within scope. The announcement came hours after Hegseth's Pentagon briefing in which he said Khamenei was "wounded and likely disfigured" and had not appeared in video or audio, only in written statements. The reward offer and the offer of relocation suggests the US is also trying to flip insiders with knowledge of Khamenei's location or condition.