Iran escalates conflict with US via missile strike claim and $15 million UAV bounty

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had launched an upgraded version of the Haj Qasem medium‑range solid‑fuel missile at U.S. military bases in Jordan. The missile is described as capable of supersonic speeds of up to 18,000 km/h, carrying a 450 kg warhead with a range of at least 1,400 km, and is said to be difficult for Patriot or THAAD defenses to intercept. No independent evidence has confirmed the strike or any damage.

In parallel, the United States has offered a reward of up to $15 million for information that could disrupt the financial network behind the IRGC’s unmanned‑aerial‑vehicle (UAV) program. The bounty targets Kimia Part Sivan (KIPAS), a company accused of developing and supplying UAVs for the IRGC’s Quds Force, as well as six senior individuals linked to the firm. The move is part of a broader U.S. strategy of sanctions and financial pressure aimed at curbing Iran’s drone capabilities in Iraq, Yemen and Syria.