An Iraqi armed group that calls itself the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” announced a $10 million reward for anyone who kills U.S. President Donald Trump, fomenting further unrest in a volatile Middle East. Such threats are coming as violence between the United States and Iraq is growing and Iran-backed fighters in the region are stepping up.
According to statements circulated by regional media outlets, the reward was established in response to Trump’s recent remarks pointing to the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, former deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces. The group alleged Trump has bragged in the past about the operation and described the bounty as retaliation.
The organisation claimed that the money was collected through donations from its supporters and would go to any individual, group, or entity responsible for carrying out or facilitating the act. Regional reports quoted the group as saying that the reward was intended as “retribution” for the killings of Soleimani and al-Muhandis.
The development comes at a sensitive moment in U.S.-Iraq relations. Just days earlier, President Trump met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House, and both leaders discussed security cooperation, commercial partnerships and how they could help reduce Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. Trump praised the Iraqi leader and emphasised closer ties between Washington and Baghdad.
The term “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” is used by several Iran-backed militia groups that have claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. military facilities and diplomatic facilities in Iraq and Syria. Many of those organisations have long criticised American military presence in the region and have repeatedly clamoured for the removal of U.S. troops.
Security experts say that threats against current and former U.S. officials linked to the Soleimani strike have been ongoing for years. U.S. intelligence agencies have predicted retaliation from Iran-backed networks. It is not clear whether the bounty announcement is a genuine operational threat to the American security agencies that protect the president and other senior officials.
The announcement has also intensified the fight between the United States and Iran-backed armed groups across the Middle East. Washington has recently stepped up pressure on several Iraqi militias through rewards in Iraq for information on leaders who are suspected of attacking U.S. personnel and interests. In early 2023, the U.S. State Department offered rewards of up to $10 million for information on several Iran-aligned militia leaders in Iraq.
Neither the White House nor U.S. federal security forces have publicly commented on the bounty announcement. Iraqi authorities have also not issued an official response. But the development highlights the continuing security problems and geopolitical tensions that continue to shape relations between the United States, Iraq, and Iran.
The situation will be closely monitored by intelligence and law enforcement agencies, as regional tensions remain high and political rhetoric continues to escalate.
