World News Live Updates: Iran offers $30,000 bounty for killing, capturing US soldiers
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and US President Donald Trump. (Photo: AP/X/@ghalibaffans)
The Iranian military authorities have offered a bounty of $30,000 for the killing or the capture of a US soldier, with the offer being double if it is done by a woman from Iran. This was announced by the commander-in-chief of the army forces of the country, Major General Amir Hatami, on Sunday, according to state media of the nation.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump made two major foreign policy moves this weekend, both tied to the widening fallout from the US-Iran war. He praised the newly signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan, calling it a “BIG, BOLD, IMPORTANT FIRST STEP” toward a more unified Middle East even as the region continues to absorb spillover violence, including Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks. “Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that it shows “how the Middle East is coming together, and how Countries will finally be able to defend themselves in a more meaningful way.
Story continues below this ad
Trump moved on a very different front ordering the Pentagon to scale back planned joint military exercises with South Korea, after Seoul declined his request to help in efforts to denuclearize Iran. Trump said the drills, due to begin this week, would send a “totally inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea, which he described as having been “unthreatening and respectful” during his time in office. He said he’d instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the exercises, even as he acknowledged it was too late to cancel them outright.
Follow The Indian Express Global Desk for live coverage of the day’s top world news.
Live Updates
Stay updated with the latest – Click here to follow us on Instagram
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
