TEHRAN: Iran on Wednesday slammed a $20 million US reward for information on its nuclear programme as ‘repugnant and regrettable’, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urging the United Nations’ atomic energy agency and the Security Council to condemn the offer.
Last week, the US military said up to $20m and ‘possible relocation’ were available for information about the programme’s ‘facilities, equipment, and associated personnel’.
‘The Islamic Republic of Iran calls upon the UN Secretary General, the Security Council, and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to condemn this repugnant announcement explicitly and unequivocally,’ Araghchi wrote in a letter addressed to allthree.
He repeated Iran’s insistence that its nuclear programme is peaceful.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Iran’s nuclear programme was effectively obliterated by strikes on key facilities in June 2025.
Since that war, Iran has blocked IAEA inspectors from visiting bombed facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said on Wednesday the nuclear issue was ‘not currently’ part of ongoing diplomatic talks led by Qatar and Pakistan to end the war that began on Feb 28.
Rezaei said Tehran had already established red lines, including that it would ‘not send even a tiny amount of the enriched material outside Iran’.
He also threatened to strike US bases beyond the Middle East. ‘If American aircraft take off from an American military base, even one located in a European country or some other distant region, to bomb Iran, we will strike those bases as well,’ Rezaei told Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen TV.He added that Iran’s response would ‘target America’s more distant military installations,’ and potentially ‘certain islands that they assume are beyond the reach of our missiles’.
Meanwhile, in the Strait of Hormuz, tankers are still ablaze and oil spills are washing ashore despite expectations of a de-escalation.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported another incident involving a tanker in the strait, while Iran said an oil tanker caught fire after hitting a naval mine.
Videos posted on social media showed a tanker on fire near the coast of Oman.
Iran claimed responsibility for hitting three tankers the same day for using ‘unauthorised routes’.
At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, the highest monthly tally since the conflict began. US forces have continued to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The InternationalMaritime Organisation confirmed 133 incidents in the region, with at least 25 seafarers killed.
Internally, Iran’s government warned of worsening gas shortages this winter as a result of damage to processing facilities in the war. ‘If the level of consumption is high it is possible that gas cuts will occur all over the country including in Tehran,’ government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said.
National Iranian Gas Company Managing Director Saeed Tavakoli said damage to four processing plants initially reduced capacity by 230 million cubic metres, of which around 100 million hasbeen restored.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on Iranians to cut gas use by 10 per cent, while First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref warned gas prices could rise if consumption is excessive.-AgenciesHe added that Iran’s response would ‘target America’s more distant military installations,’ and potentially ‘certain islands that they assume are beyond the reach of our missiles’.
Meanwhile, in the Strait of Hormuz, tankers are still ablaze and oil spills are washing ashore despite expectations of a de-escalation.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency reported another incident involving a tanker in the strait, while Iran said an oil tanker caught fire after hitting a naval mine.
Videos posted on social media showed a tanker on fire near the coast of Oman.
Iran claimed responsibility for hitting three tankers the same day for using ‘unauthorised routes’.
At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, the highest monthly tally since the conflict began. US forces have continued to enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The InternationalMaritime Organisation confirmed 133 incidents in the region, with at least 25 seafarers killed.
Internally, Iran’s government warned of worsening gas shortages this winter as a result of damage to processing facilities in the war. ‘If the level of consumption is high it is possible that gas cuts will occur all over the country including in Tehran,’ government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said.
National Iranian Gas Company Managing Director Saeed Tavakoli said damage to four processing plants initially reduced capacity by 230 million cubic metres, of which around 100 million hasbeen restored.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on Iranians to cut gas use by 10 per cent, while First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref warned gas prices could rise if consumption is excessive.-Agencies