Trump targets Iran's financial infrastructure: US offers $15 million reward to help dismantle the Iranian regime's financial network

On Thursday, the Department of State offered a reward of up to $15 million for information that could help dismantle the financial infrastructure used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Quds Force, while President Donald Trump's administration continues to target the networks that help the Iranian regime finance its overseas operations, at a time when the conflict between Washington and Tehran is entering its seventh month with no end in sight.

The department announced the initiative through its Rewards for Justice program on its official X account, seeking information on a series of activities allegedly used to generate and move money for the Iranian regime. The effort includes illicit oil-for-cash transactions, front companies, and other entities involved in helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions, which have been crucial in recent months to sustaining the Iranian regime.

According to the program, investigators are particularly interested in information that could reveal the mechanisms used to move funds through seemingly legitimate companies and financial channels. Disrupting these networks could make it more difficult for the IRGC to access the international financial system and transfer money to organizations operating on behalf of Tehran.

"The IRGC has financed numerous terrorist attacks and activities globally," the program stated in a press release. The Rewards for Justice program also highlighted the role of the IRGC's Quds Force in Iran's activities abroad, noting that it "leads Iran's terrorist operations outside Iran via its proxies, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq."

Far from being the first time this measure has been taken, the U.S. government has previously used sanctions, financial investigations, and reward offers as part of a broader effort to limit Iran's ability to generate revenue through illicit trade and transfer those funds internationally. In 2019, for example, the Department of State announced a separate $15 million reward for information that could help dismantle the IRGC and Quds Force's financial mechanisms.

Washington has also focused on what it describes as Iran's "shadow banking" system, which involves currency exchange houses and foreign companies allegedly used to move proceeds generated through illicit trade. The Department of State stated in 2024 that these networks had been used by the IRGC and Iran's Ministry of Defense to gain access to the international financial system and move funds linked to terrorism and other activities.

The Rewards for Justice program allows individuals with relevant information to receive financial compensation for information that helps disrupt the operations and financial mechanisms of designated terrorist organizations. The program has previously offered rewards totaling several million dollars for information related to other Iranian-backed groups, including the Houthis.