US Offers Up to $20 Million for Tips on Iran's Nuclear Program as Strike Options Are Weighed

The State Department posted a short message on X this week with an unusual instruction: if you know something about Iran's nuclear program, send it by Signal or through a Tor-based tip line. The offer, from the department's Rewards for Justice program, is worth up to $20 million.

The announcement said the reward could come with relocation as well as money. It asked for information on Iran's nuclear program, its assets, and the people associated with it. In more detail, the department said it wanted material on nuclear scientists and staff, technologies tied to the program, capabilities, and the organizations and personnel connected to them. The agency added that the U.S. government remains committed to countering any Iranian attempt to develop a nuclear weapons program.

The timing matters. The offer arrived while President Donald Trump is considering renewed military strikes on Iran, even as Washington and Tehran continue negotiating over the nuclear program. On Friday, Trump repeated that Iran would never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, and he pointed to earlier U.S. military operations against Tehran's nuclear facilities as evidence of that resolve.

On Thursday, the president met with his national security team to weigh resuming strikes. That meeting came after Trump had promised to wait until after the midterm elections before taking such a step. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office earlier that day, he said Washington would make a decision on resuming the war. He framed the question as whether the U.S. wants to go further to make sure Iran's nuclear program is dead and that it never happens again.

He then added a remark that left the outcome open: he would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but he might have to. "You'll know soon enough," he said.

Senior U.S. officials told Fox News that November 9 marks a new moon in the Middle East. That means little to no moonlight, a condition they described as favorable for military operations. The officials did not say a strike is set for that date, and nothing in the reporting confirms a decision.

On the military side, reports citing a U.S. official say U.S. Central Command is finalizing preparations for a possible resumption of major operations in Iran. The same reports say CENTCOM has not yet received a new directive from Washington. Readiness, in other words, is being built ahead of a decision that has not been announced.

Taken together, the reward offer, the national security meeting, and the command's preparations point to a window of decision measured in days. What to watch is whether a directive reaches CENTCOM around the November 9 new moon, and whether the negotiations with Tehran continue alongside it.