Washington Offers $20 Million to Informants on Iranian Nuclear Program

The U.S. State Department has allocated a $20 million reward for anyone providing information about Iran's nuclear program, a move that contradicts repeated statements by President Donald Trump that Tehran's nuclear capabilities have been "completely and totally destroyed."

The State Department's "Rewards for Justice" program announced the sum in a post Friday on social media, stating it seeks information about Iranian nuclear facilities, equipment, and personnel associated with them, with the possibility of providing protection and resettlement for whistleblowers. The program has expanded its scope since the outbreak of war in February to also include information about senior Iranian regime officials.

The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran was enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, which the "Rewards for Justice" statement described as "a short technical step from the 90 percent enrichment needed to produce a nuclear weapon." The statement added that "Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state that produces uranium" at this high level of enrichment and noted that experts estimate this quantity, if enriched further, could be sufficient to produce multiple nuclear weapons. The statement also pointed to "loss of continuity of knowledge" regarding Iran's production and stockpile of key components such as centrifuges, due to the regime's non-compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Trump repeated threats this week of strikes on Iran's underground "Mount Hawala" site, which Israel believes Tehran has used to store part of its stockpile of enriched uranium and advanced centrifuge machines. Trump told reporters Friday: "If we had not struck Iran, Israel would not be here today." Tehran responded that any attack on its nuclear facilities would constitute an expansion of regional war, reaffirming its right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, including enrichment.

Reuters reported, citing Iranian media, that explosions were heard on Qeshm Island and at Iran's southern Jask port following what Trump described as "limited" American strikes. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that an Iranian source later denied the explosions heard on Qeshm were linked to missile strikes, while Iran has not officially confirmed the source of these explosions.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) deployed a task force aimed at preventing Iran from accessing land routes that could facilitate the transfer of advanced weapons and other materials, while a naval blockade remains in place as part of American efforts to cut Iran's oil exports.