What Happened
- The US State Department's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) programme announced rewards of up to $10 million for information on the whereabouts and activities of Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and nine other senior Islamic Republic officials.
- Targeted individuals include IRGC-linked figures: Supreme Leader's deputy chief of staff Ali Asghar Hejazi, security chief Ali Larijani, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, and senior military adviser Yahya Rahim Safavi.
- Four additional positions were named without identified individuals: the Secretary of the Supreme Defence Council, the head of the Supreme Leader's military office, the IRGC Commander-in-Chief, and the Supreme Leader's adviser.
- Informants were also offered the possibility of relocation to a third country.
- The rewards came weeks after the Twelve-Day War (June 2025) and the subsequent death of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, signalling a US strategy to apply maximum pressure on the new Iranian leadership.
Static Topic Bridges
Iran's Post-Revolutionary Political Structure
Iran's constitution (1979, revised 1989) establishes a unique dual-structure government where supreme political authority rests with a religious jurist (the Wali-e-Faqih or Supreme Leader) while a parallel elected structure — President, Parliament, Guardian Council — handles day-to-day governance.
- The Supreme Leader heads the armed forces (including the IRGC), appoints the judiciary chief, controls state television, and has ultimate authority over foreign policy and nuclear decisions.
- The President heads the executive branch and the Council of Ministers, but is subordinate to the Supreme Leader on all matters of national importance.
- The Guardian Council (12 members: 6 jurists appointed by Supreme Leader + 6 lawyers nominated by judiciary) vets all legislation and candidate eligibility for elections.
- The Expediency Council mediates disputes between Parliament and Guardian Council; Ali Larijani (targeted in the RFJ announcement) is a former Expediency Council chairman and former Parliament Speaker.
- Ali Khamenei, the previous Supreme Leader, died during the Twelve-Day War (June 2025); his son Mojtaba Khamenei succeeded him — a controversial succession widely criticised as dynastic.
Connection to this news: The Rewards for Justice announcement targeted not just the IRGC but the entire apex decision-making structure of Iran — the Supreme Leader's office and its military advisers — reflecting a US strategy of personalising and targeting leadership rather than just military assets.
US Rewards for Justice (RFJ) Programme
The Rewards for Justice programme is a US State Department counter-terrorism initiative established under the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986. It offers financial rewards for information leading to the capture or disruption of individuals threatening US national security.
- The programme has paid out over $200 million since its inception [Unverified current figure] and has led to the capture or neutralisation of numerous high-value targets.
- It has been used against leaders of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Hezbollah, and designated state actors.
- The 2019 US designation of the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation enabled the application of RFJ rewards to IRGC officials.
- The programme uses encrypted communication channels and Tor-based contact methods to protect informants.
- Extending RFJ to a serving head of state (Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader) is legally and diplomatically unprecedented — it effectively treats Iran's supreme authority as a wanted fugitive.
Connection to this news: The RFJ announcement signals a US strategy shift from military strikes to intelligence-driven pressure — attempting to isolate, surveil, and potentially destabilise Iran's new post-Twelve Day War leadership structure.
Targeted Killings, State Sovereignty, and International Law
The use of financial incentives to gather intelligence on a foreign government's leadership raises fundamental questions about state sovereignty, non-interference, and the permissible limits of intelligence operations in international law.
- The United Nations Charter Article 2(1) enshrines the sovereign equality of states and Article 2(7) prohibits interference in the domestic affairs of states.
- Targeted killing of foreign state officials has been widely practiced (US drone strikes on Al-Awlaki, Israeli assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists) but remains legally contested.
- Iran has invoked sovereignty norms at the UN Security Council in response to US actions; Russia and China have typically supported Iran's positions at the UNSC.
- India has consistently opposed targeted killings and extra-territorial operations as inconsistent with international law, while also participating in anti-terrorism financial measures.
Connection to this news: The RFJ announcement, regardless of whether it leads to actionable intelligence, sets a precedent — placing a state's serving Supreme Leader on a "wanted list" normalises the treatment of government officials as targets of covert operations, blurring the line between war and intelligence activity.
Key Facts & Data
- Rewards for Justice (RFJ) programme: established under Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act, 1986.
- Reward amount: up to $10 million per individual, plus relocation assistance.
- Targeted individuals: Mojtaba Khamenei (Supreme Leader), Ali Larijani, Esmail Khatib, Eskandar Momeni, Yahya Rahim Safavi, Ali Asghar Hejazi, and 4 unnamed position-holders.
- US designated IRGC as Foreign Terrorist Organization: April 2019.
- Iran's Supreme Leader: ultimate authority over armed forces, judiciary, foreign policy, nuclear decisions.
- Guardian Council: 12 members; vets legislation and candidate eligibility; 6 appointed by Supreme Leader.
- Ali Khamenei (previous Supreme Leader) died during the Twelve-Day War (June 2025); succeeded by son Mojtaba Khamenei.
- UN Charter Article 2(1): sovereign equality of states; Article 2(7): non-interference in domestic affairs.