As the US-Israeli war against Iran grinds on, Friday brought three significant developments — a US bounty on Iran’s new supreme leader, a milestone drone toll claimed by Tehran, and a fortnight of government-imposed internet blackout inside the Islamic Republic.
Washington Puts a Price on Iranian Leadership
The US State Department announced a $10 million reward for information on Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, alongside nine other senior Iranian officials. Among those named were Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Minister of Intelligence and Security Esmail Khatib.
The department was blunt about why these individuals were being targeted. “These individuals command and direct various elements of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which plans, organizes and executes terrorism around the world,” the State Department said.
Tipsters were encouraged to use encrypted channels — specifically Tor or Signal — to pass along intelligence, with the department noting that “your information could make you eligible for relocation and a reward.” The offer falls under the State Department’s longstanding “Rewards for Justice” program, which provides cash incentives for intelligence leading to the capture or prosecution of wanted individuals.
Mojtaba Khamenei stepped into his role following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a bombing on February 28 at the outset of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
Iran Claims 111 Drones Destroyed
On the battlefield, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reported through its Sepah News portal that its military has destroyed 111 enemy drones since the conflict began. The latest additions to that tally include an MQ-9 downed over Fars province and another aircraft shot down in Tabriz. No breakdown was provided distinguishing between cheap one-way explosive drones and more sophisticated multi-use aircraft like the MQ-9.
Two Weeks Without Internet
Inside Iran, civilian life has been further disrupted by an internet blackout now stretching beyond 14 days, according to connectivity monitor Netblocks. Critically, analysts say the outage is not a byproduct of airstrikes — it is deliberate.
Netblocks research chief Isik Mater told AFP that the pattern of connectivity limits points clearly to state action rather than infrastructure damage: “this is a government-imposed measure.”
Amnesty International’s Iran researcher Raha Bahreini went further. “It is a deliberate shutdown imposed by the authorities to suppress the flow of information and prevent further dissent,” she said — painting a picture of a government simultaneously fighting an external war while tightening its grip on its own population.
