The Department of State has announced a reward of up to $20 million for information relating to Iran’s nuclear programme, a figure that will be familiar to anyone who has seen a reward notice stapled to a telephone pole. Eligible submissions will be reviewed by a panel whose membership has not been disclosed, against criteria described as actionable and not previously in the public domain. This narrows the field considerably.
Applicants are asked to submit findings through an intake form that accepts documents, witness accounts and, where applicable, centrifuge schematics. Officials confirmed that a centrifuge is defined for these purposes as any spinning object of sufficient ambition. Tips may be submitted anonymously, although the form requests a return address for the disbursement of funds, which the department considers a matter of administrative hygiene.
The reward structure was reviewed against comparable programmes and found to represent good value. Department analysts noted that searches for concealed nuclear material have historically been conducted with less financial motivation, and that a figure of $20 million is expected to focus the search. President Trump has repeatedly raised the prospect of renewing strikes against the facilities in question. The department has said the reward is a separate matter and that both initiatives are being managed in parallel, as is standard practice across agencies with overlapping mandates.