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Why it matters
The offer shows Washington openly paying for information on Iran's nuclear work while mediators push for talks. The reward page itself says the IAEA has lost "continuity of knowledge" about Iran's centrifuges, which is the gap the US says it wants filled.
The United States has put up an Iran nuclear reward of up to $20 million, with possible relocation, for information about Iran’s nuclear programme. The offer comes from the State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme, and US Central Command (Centcom), the US military command for the Middle East, shared it on X on Friday, 6 November 2026, Hindustan Times and Times of India reported.
The offer landed on a day when, according to Times of India, US President Donald Trump confirmed fresh limited strikes on Iran and said Tehran wanted a deal.
What the Iran nuclear reward covers
The Rewards for Justice page says it wants information about Iran’s nuclear programme, including its facilities, equipment and associated personnel, such as people in the scientific community. It also asks about the movement of any of these: sites, equipment or people.
The amount is a ceiling, not a fixed payment. Times of India reported that the announcement did not say what kind of information would qualify for the full $20 million. The page also offers possible relocation for the person who gives the tip.
Rewards for Justice is a State Department programme set up in 1984 to pay for information that protects American lives and interests, Times of India said. The Rewards for Justice home page says the programme covers terrorism, foreign interference in US elections, foreign-directed cyber attacks on the United States and the money networks behind North Korea’s regime.
How Rewards for Justice says tips can be sent
The programme’s website lists the steps in plain terms. NewsPlainly has set them out below from the site’s own wording:
- Choose one of several platforms; the site says tips can be sent in many languages.
- State the information as briefly as possible.
- Give a name, location and preferred language.
- Upload supporting files such as photographs, videos and documents.
- Wait for a Rewards for Justice (RFJ) representative to make contact. The site says it reads every tip.
The site also lists a channel on Tor, a network that hides a user’s location. NewsPlainly is reporting the process only; it is not advising anyone to take part.
Why the US reward targets Iran’s nuclear programme
The reward page gives its own reasons. It says the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, reported in 2025 that Iran was enriching uranium to 60 per cent purity. The page calls that a short technical step from the 90 per cent needed for a nuclear weapon. It also says Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons that produces uranium at that level.
The page adds that Iran’s lack of cooperation with the IAEA on safeguards has cost the agency “continuity of knowledge” about how many centrifuges, the machines that enrich uranium, Iran makes and holds. The Associated Press (AP) news agency, as carried by Times of India, reported the IAEA’s figure of 440.9 kg of uranium enriched to 60 per cent.
Iran has maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful, Times of India reported.
Earlier US reward offers linked to Iran
This is not the first time Washington has used cash rewards against Iran-linked targets. Hindustan Times listed two earlier offers. NewsPlainly has put them next to the new one:
| Year | Reward offered | What it sought |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Up to $15 million | Information to disrupt the finances of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Qods Force |
| 2024 | Up to $20 million | Arrest or conviction of IRGC member Shahram Poursafi, accused of plotting to kill former US national security adviser John Bolton |
| 2026 | Up to $20 million and possible relocation | Information on Iran’s nuclear facilities, equipment, personnel and their movement |
The 2026 Iran nuclear reward is the first of the three aimed at the nuclear programme itself rather than a group’s money or one named person.
Strikes and Qatar talks around the US reward on Iran
The offer comes more than eight months into the war between the US and Iran, Times of India reported. On Friday, Trump said the US military had carried out fresh, limited strikes on Iranian air defences, calling the action “minor”. Iranian state media reported two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the same report.
“We’re dealing with them now. They want to make a deal very badly,” Trump said on Friday night in West Palm Beach, Florida, Times of India reported.
Talks on the nuclear programme are running in parallel. Two Middle East government officials told AP that Iran was reviewing proposals from Qatar, the chief mediator. They include lifting the US blockade on Iran’s ports and releasing some frozen Iranian funds in return for letting IAEA inspectors visit bombed sites, and then reopening the Strait of Hormuz under an arrangement reached with Oman. The officials said Iran would not negotiate on its nuclear work until the US met several of its conditions. NewsPlainly covered the earlier Iran nuclear proposal on 6 November.
Hindustan Times recalled that US forces struck the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan sites on 21 June 2025 in an operation called Midnight Hammer. Trump said they were “completely and totally obliterated”, but a preliminary US intelligence assessment said the strikes set the programme back by months, the paper reported.
What is still unclear about the offer
The Rewards for Justice page for the Iran nuclear reward carries no date and does not say how long the offer stays open. It also does not set out how payments are judged. Times of India noted that the announcement did not say which information would earn the maximum amount. The reports read did not include a response from Iran’s government to the reward itself.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the US reward for information on Iran's nuclear programme?
Up to $20 million, plus possible relocation, according to the Rewards for Justice page. Times of India reported that the announcement did not say what information would earn the full amount.
What information does the reward cover?
Iran's nuclear facilities, equipment and associated personnel, including people in the scientific community, and the movement of any of these.
How are tips sent to Rewards for Justice?
Its website says tips can go through several platforms in many languages, with a name, location, preferred language and supporting files. It also lists a Tor channel.