Did Iran Really Announce $80 Mn Bounty on Trump’s Head? Not Quite
Despite the claims by many media outlets, the Iranian leadership has not announced a bounty. Here’s what happened.
The very first week of 2020 saw an event that could spark war between the United States and Iran, after top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in US airstrikes on 3 January. The event was followed by sharp reactions and open threats from both sides.
In light of this, several media reports have surfaced claiming that Iran has announced a bounty of $80 million on US President Donald Trump’s head. Media outlets including India Today, Hindustan Times, Times Of India, News18 and NDTV all reported the claim.
What Do The Reports Say?
The reports state that an announcement was made during the funeral procession of the military generals killed in the airstrike and was broadcast on Iranian state television.
“During the televised funeral procession of the top Iranian, official state broadcasters said on Sunday $1 would be tabled for every Iranian in the country, with the cash going to whoever killed the US President, mirror.co.uk said in the report,” reported India Today, while quoting a Daily Mirror story.
“Iran has 80 million inhabitants. Based on the Iranian population, we want to raise $80 million which is a reward for those who get close to the head of President Trump, it was announced,” reported NDTV.
Similar claims were made by other media outlets.
A Case of Misleading Headlines
While most reports by the media outlets make it clear in the body of the story that the announcement concerning the bounty was made by an “unidentified eulogist” during the funeral of the Iranian commander, the headlines suggested otherwise.
What’s the Source Of This Information?
The reports have been credited to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) which is a news wire agency. IANS in its report has quoted a UK-based tabloid, Daily Mirror.
“An $80 million bounty has been placed on Donald Trump's head in Iran in the wake of General Qasem Soleimani's assassination,” states the report by Mirror. The report further says that the statement was made by an “unidentified eulogist” on Iranian state television channels.
According to the Mirror, the eulogist announced, “Iran has 80 million inhabitants. Based on the Iranian population, we want to raise $80million (£61million) which is a reward for those who get close to the head of President Trump.”
The Mirror has further attributed information to a report by en24, a news and entertainment website. The report states that, “Iranian state television announced during the broadcast of a funeral service for the killed terror general Ghassem Soleimani that $ 80 million bounty would be placed on US President Donald Trump.”
Dr Zaid Abdul Wahab Al-Adhami, a journalist working with an Iranian TV channel, also corroborated the details on Twitter.
Has Iran Officially Announced a Bounty?
The killing by the Unites States has evoked several threats from Iran’s top leadership, including the recent statement by Iran's Revolutionary Guard who threatened to "set ablaze" places supported by the United States.
However, no official statement regarding the announcement of a bounty on Trump’s head has been made so far.
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