A little known Iranian parliamentarian, Ahmad Hamzeh, has offered to pay $3 million to "anyone who kills" the US President Donald Trump. The offer to avenge the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran's Quds Force, was made in the parliament. American disarmament ambassador Robert Wood described the act as a reflection of Iran's "terrorist underpinnings".
Iranian lawmaker's offer
"We will give three million dollars to anyone who kills Trump", Parliamentarian Ahmad Hamzeh announced in the 290-member parliament, or Majlis, on Tuesday. Hamzeh represents Kahnouj county, situated near the southeastern city of Kerman, which is Soleimani's hometown and his final resting ground. Hamzeh offered the bounty on behalf of the people of Kerman, Al Jazeera reported.
Hamzeh also said that Iran should start producing nuclear weapons and delivery systems to protect itself. "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," he was quoted as saying.
Robert Wood, the American disarmament ambassador, described the bounty as "ridiculous" and that it showed Iranian regime's "terrorist underpinnings". This is the second time, when an Iranian has announced bounty on Trump's head. Earlier, a $80 million bounty was offered on Trump's head.
Assassination of General Qassen Soleimani
Emotions are running high in the west Asian nation since a US drone-strike killed revered Iranian commander and leader of its Quds Forces, General Qassem Soleimani, in the early hours on January 3. Iran retaliated by firing more than a dozen missiles on two Iraqi military bases, which housed American and coalition troops, which left about a dozen US troops injured. In the fog of war, Iran "unintentionally" struck a Ukrainian passenger jetliner, killing all 176 on board.
Iran's nuclear program
More than the tit-for-tat retaliation between Washington and Tehran, Iran's nuclear program is the real cause of concern, especially since Trump administration unilaterally pulled out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as Iran Nuclear Deal, in 2017.
In June last year, Tehran announced it had exceeded limits set on Uranium enrichment according to JCPOA. On Monday, Tehran threatened to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a 1968 agreement that prohibits countries other than P5 (U.S.A., Russia, France, U.K. and China) from acquiring nuclear weapons.
