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The U.S. government's Rewards for Justice program is offering up to $10 million for information on 14 senior leaders of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, including the man listed as the country's Supreme Leader, according to a notice posted by the program.
The reward targets commanders across the IRGC's various branches, an organization the U.S. State Department has designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization since April 2019. Rewards for Justice, in a social media post announcing the offer, said the individuals named "lead IRGC units that have targeted U.S. personnel with armed attacks and U.S. critical infrastructure with malicious cyber operations."
The list of individuals sought includes Mojtaba Khamenei, identified in the notice as Supreme Leader, and Ali Asghar Hejazi, deputy chief of staff of the Supreme Leader's Office. Also named are the secretary of the Defense Council, an unnamed advisor to the Supreme Leader, and Yahya Rahim Safavi, described as a military adviser within the Supreme Leader's Office.
Other officials on the list include the Supreme Leader Office's military office chief, an advisor to that office who also serves as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Eskandar Momeni, Iran's Minister of the Interior.
The notice also names an unidentified director of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, along with Ahmad Vahidi, commander of the IRGC, and Ali Abdollahi, chief of the Khatemolanbia Central Headquarters.
Rounding out the list are Sa'id Aghajani, identified as the IRGC Aerospace Force's drone commander; Hamidreza Lashgarian, chief of the IRGC's Cyber Electronic Command; and Majid Khademi, commander of the IRGC's Intelligence Office.
The reward notice describes the IRGC, a component of Iran's official military, as central to Iran's use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy, saying the organization "plans, organizes, and executes terrorism around the world."
It states that the IRGC has also created, supported and directed other terrorist groups, and holds responsibility for attacks on Americans and U.S. facilities, including some that killed U.S. citizens.
Founded in 1979, the IRGC has since expanded its reach into Iran's foreign policy, economy and domestic politics, according to the notice, which describes the organization as now controlling significant sectors of the Iranian economy and wielding considerable influence over domestic political affairs.
The State Department designated the IRGC and its Qods Force as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in April 2019 under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Separately, the Treasury Department designated the IRGC as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2017 under Executive Order 13224, citing its support for the Qods Force. Those designations block IRGC property and interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction and generally bar U.S. persons from conducting transactions with the organization. Providing material support to the IRGC is a criminal offense under U.S. law.
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