Militia Offers $10 Million Bounty for Assassination of US President

​BAGHDAD — An umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), has announced a $10 million bounty for the assassination of United States President Donald Trump. The declaration, released in an official statement on July 16, 2026, marks a significant escalation in regional tensions following the President’s recent remarks regarding the 2020 military operation that killed high-ranking Iranian and Iraqi commanders.

​Retaliation for 2020 Strike

​The militia group explicitly cited the January 2020 US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport—which resulted in the deaths of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces—as the primary justification for the bounty.

​The IRI statement claimed that the reward money was accumulated through donations from its members and supporters. The group urged “individuals, groups, organizations, and institutions” to carry out or facilitate the assassination, vowing that the President “will never enjoy the taste of safety”.

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​Triggering Incident

​The threat followed a recent White House meeting between President Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, where the President defended the 2020 strike. During the discussion, Trump reportedly referred to the operation as a necessary action from his first administration, describing the deceased militia leader as a “very bad person”. The militia’s statement characterized these comments as “audacious and offensive” boasting, asserting that the actions required qisas, or legal retribution.

​Context of Rising Tensions

​This announcement comes amid a backdrop of heightened instability between Washington and Tehran. In recent months, US prosecutors have alleged that individuals linked to Iran have attempted to recruit operatives to target the President in retaliation for the 2020 strike, claims which the Iranian government has consistently denied.

​The security climate surrounding the President has been particularly volatile since the 2024 US presidential campaign, during which he survived multiple assassination attempts, including a shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a foiled plot near his Florida golf course. As of July 2026, the United States remains engaged in a series of military operations aimed at degrading Iranian military capabilities, further complicating the diplomatic landscape.