The United States is offering up to $20 million — plus possible relocation — for information about Iran's nuclear programme, the State Department's Rewards for Justice programme announced on Friday, in a public appeal for intelligence on facilities, equipment and scientists that Washington says it still cannot fully account for, despite President Donald Trump's repeated claims that American strikes have destroyed the programme.
US Central Command publicised the offer in a statement posted on X, saying the programme "is offering a reward of up to $20 million and possible relocation for information about Iran's nuclear programme, including its facilities, equipment, and associated personnel, such as those in the scientific community," according to the Agence France-Presse news agency. The announcement was made on Friday 6 November, as diplomatic efforts by regional mediators continued alongside fresh American military action.
What the reward covers
The offer covers Iran's nuclear facilities, equipment and associated personnel — including members of its scientific community — and the movement of any of them, according to the programme's official notice. People with information can submit it through an encrypted Tor browser tip line or through the secure Signal or Telegram messaging apps, the New York Post reported.
"If you have information on Iran's nuclear program, assets, or associated individuals, send it to us," Rewards for Justice asked the public in its announcement.
The programme did not specify what particular information would qualify for the maximum $20 million, and the amount is a ceiling rather than a fixed payment. Rewards for Justice was established in 1984 under the State Department's national security rewards initiative to offer financial incentives for information that protects American lives and interests. The Trump administration previously used the programme in March to offer $10 million for information about 10 key leaders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Why Washington says it still needs answers
The State Department's notice cited Iran's failure to comply with its safeguards obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog, saying this had led to the agency losing "continuity of knowledge" about Iran's production and inventory of key nuclear components, including centrifuges.
The notice also referred to the IAEA's 2025 reporting that Iran was enriching uranium to 60% purity, a level technically close to the 90% generally associated with weapons-grade uranium. Iran is the only state without nuclear weapons to have produced uranium at such a high enrichment level, according to the notice, which added that experts estimated the quantity could be sufficient for several nuclear weapons if enriched further.
The IAEA's estimate, based on information available up to 13 June 2025, put Iran's stockpile at 440.9 kilogrammes of uranium enriched to 60% purity. That is not a verified estimate of the current stockpile, given the difficulties inspectors have faced in accessing nuclear sites since then. Iran maintains that its programme is peaceful, while Washington continues to demand assurances over enrichment and international inspections.
Why 60% matters: uranium enriched to 60% purity is far above the roughly 3–5% used in civilian power reactors, and most of the technical work needed to reach weapons-grade 90% has already been done by that point. That is why the IAEA's loss of visibility over Iran's centrifuge production and inventory is the central concern behind the reward.
A bounty that sits oddly beside "obliterated"
The reward lands in tension with Trump's own account of the war. The president has repeatedly said US forces have effectively obliterated Iran's nuclear programme, telling supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday night: "If we didn't hit Iran, you wouldn't have Israel today. If they had nuclear, they would have used nuclear. They would have obliterated the Middle East."
Yet earlier in the week Trump said Washington still had to "take care" of one or two targets in Iran, including Pickaxe Mountain in the country's centre — a site suspected of being a nuclear facility, although Tehran denies that it serves such a purpose. And on 6 November, Trump said US forces had carried out limited strikes targeting an Iranian air defence system, describing the action as "minor", the Associated Press reported.
"I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I'll have to. You'll know soon enough."
That was Trump speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, as he weighed his next move against Iran. The president has also said Iran's economy and military have been severely damaged during eight months of war, and that Tehran is now eager to end the conflict through an agreement. The US bombed several Iranian nuclear facilities in the summer of 2025.
| The reward at a glance | Detail |
|---|---|
| Amount | Up to $20 million, plus possible relocation |
| Run by | State Department's Rewards for Justice programme (established 1984) |
| Information sought | Nuclear facilities, equipment, personnel — including scientists — and their movements |
| How to submit | Encrypted Tor tip line, or Signal and Telegram |
| IAEA stockpile figure | 440.9 kg of uranium at 60% purity, as of 13 June 2025 — not a current verified estimate |
| Weapons-grade threshold | 90% purity; 60% is technically close |
Diplomacy runs in parallel
The bounty was announced as Qatar mediates between Washington and Tehran, with the two sides exchanging proposals but not yet confirming the resumption of direct negotiations. Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has urged both sides not to wait for ideal conditions before pursuing an agreement. "We will never have a perfect peace deal, but you can't wait for that perfect moment," he said in an interview at Oxford University, according to Bloomberg's reporting, cited by Al Jazeera.
Iran is reviewing proposals presented by Qatari mediators, but was not ready to enter nuclear negotiations until Washington addressed conditions Tehran wants included in a ceasefire arrangement, the Associated Press reported. Those include lifting the US blockade on Iranian ports, easing sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian assets, compensation for war damage, and an end to hostilities across the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.
Under a proposed two-day arrangement reported by AP, Washington would lift its blockade of Iranian ports and release some frozen Iranian funds, while Iran would allow IAEA inspectors access to nuclear sites hit by US and Israeli strikes. On the second day, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a modified navigation arrangement previously reached with Oman. Washington had not approved that arrangement, and the broader proposal remained under discussion. Reuters reported that Iran had sent a proposal on its nuclear issue to Washington through Qatar, and a senior Iranian official said the US was reviewing it — but Tehran would not proceed with negotiations until its seven conditions were met.
Trump has presented the contacts with Tehran as positive. Speaking to reporters on 6 November, he said: "We beat Iran. We are doing very well with Iran, we're talking to Iran." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that his government was still seeking to resolve the crisis through dialogue. Trump also claimed the Strait of Hormuz was "opening" and doing more business than ever — a claim that did not independently establish that the waterway had fully reopened. Reuters reported that Iran had made reopening the strait conditional on Washington meeting its demands, and Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei said: "As long as they do not execute our seven conditions, we will neither open the Strait of Hormuz nor have negotiations."
What is not yet known: whether direct negotiations have actually resumed; the current size and location of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile; and the purpose of the Pickaxe Mountain site, which Tehran denies is a nuclear facility. None of these has been independently confirmed, and they should not be treated as settled.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rewards for Justice?
A State Department programme set up in 1984 that pays for information protecting American lives and interests. It covers terrorism, foreign interference in US elections, foreign-directed cyberattacks and the money networks behind North Korea's regime — and now Iran's nuclear programme.
Does the $20 million go to anyone who sends a tip?
No. It is a maximum, not a fixed payment, and the announcement did not say what kind of information would earn the full amount. The offer also includes possible relocation for the person who provides information.
If Trump says Iran's nuclear programme was obliterated, why offer a reward?
That is the central tension in the story. The administration says the programme's facilities were devastated, yet the State Department's own notice says the IAEA has lost track of Iran's centrifuge production and inventory — meaning Washington does not know with confidence what remains, where it is, or who holds the expertise.
Is Iran close to a nuclear weapon?
The IAEA reported in 2025 that Iran was enriching uranium to 60% purity, close to the 90% associated with weapons-grade material, and the notice said experts estimated the stockpile could be sufficient for several weapons if enriched further. But the 440.9 kg figure dates from June 2025 and is not a verified estimate of the current stockpile. Iran maintains its programme is peaceful.
What happens next?
Qatar's mediation continues, with Iran's seven conditions and the Strait of Hormuz at the centre of the dispute. Trump is weighing further strikes while saying Tehran wants a deal. Whether the reward produces information — and whether the IAEA regains access to Iran's nuclear sites — will show whether Washington's intelligence gap is closing.
Key takeaways
- The US is offering up to $20 million and possible relocation for information on Iran's nuclear facilities, equipment, scientists and their movements.
- The State Department says the IAEA has lost "continuity of knowledge" over Iran's centrifuge production and inventory after Tehran's non-compliance with safeguards.
- The IAEA's last estimate put Iran's 60%-enriched uranium stockpile at 440.9 kg as of June 2025 — not a verified current figure.
- The bounty sits beside Trump's claim that the programme was "obliterated", and beside his warning that he may have to "destroy the rest of the country".
- Qatar is mediating, with Iran demanding sanctions relief, an end to the port blockade and the release of frozen assets before nuclear talks can proceed.
The reward is, in effect, an admission that the war has not answered the question it was fought over: what remains of Iran's nuclear programme, and where is it? Eight months of strikes have damaged facilities, but the expertise, the equipment and the enriched uranium are harder to bomb away — and Washington is now offering $20 million to anyone who can say where they are. The next test is whether the tip line produces answers, or whether the IAEA is allowed back in to find them itself.
