An Iranian lawmaker has offered a $3 million reward to anyone who assassinates President Trump adding that the Islamic republic could avoid threats if it had nuclear weapons, according to a report.
“On behalf of the people of Kerman province, we will pay a $3 million reward in cash to whoever kills Trump,” Ahmad Hamzeh told the 290-seat parliament, according to Reuters, which cited the state-run ISNA news outlet.
He did not say if his idea of putting a price on the president’s head had any official backing from Iran’s clerical rulers.
Tensions have steadily ramped up since Trump pulled Washington out of Tehran’s nuclear agreement with world powers in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on the country. The standoff sparked tit-for-tat military strikes this month.
The city of Kerman is the hometown of revered military commander Qassem Soleimani, whose killing in a drone strike ordered by Trump on Jan. 3 in Baghdad prompted Iran to launch missiles at US targets in Iraq.
“If we had nuclear weapons today, we would be protected from threats … We should put the production of long-range missiles capable of carrying unconventional warheads on our agenda. This is our natural right,” Hamzeh was quoted as saying.
Tehran insists it has never sought nuclear weapons and never will, saying its nuclear work is for research purposes and to master the process to generate electricity.
The 2015 nuclear accord was designed to increase the time Iran would need to obtain enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb if it wanted one from about two or three months.
Under the deal, Iran received sanctions relief in return for curbing its nuclear activities. But in response to Washington’s withdrawal from the pact and pressure from its sanctions, Iran has gradually rolled back its commitments to the deal.
Tehran recently announced it was scrapping all limits on its uranium enrichment work, potentially shortening the so-called “breakout time” needed to build a nuke.
After its latest move to step away from compliance with the nuclear accord, Britain, France, and Germany triggered a dispute mechanism in the pact, starting a diplomatic process that could lead to reimposing UN sanctions.
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