Iranian MP announces $3 million award for 'whoever kills Trump'

Politician who announced the bounty is from same province as Qassem Suleimani

A poster shows late Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani and late Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, as Iranian worshippers chant slogans during the Friday prayers sermon led by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran January 17, 2020. Official Khamenei website/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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An Iranian politician has put a $3 million bounty on the head of US President Donald Trump.

“On behalf of the people of Kerman province we will pay a $3m award in cash to whoever kills Trump,” Ahmad Hamzeh told fellow MPs, the state-funded Iranian Students News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Mr Hamzeh did not say whether the decision to threaten Mr Trump was made by Iran’s rulers or the people of Kerman.

He is from Kahnuj city in Kerman province, the same region that was home to Qassem Suleimani, commander of Iran’s Quds Force, who was assassinated in a US attack on January 3 in Iraq.

Mr Hamzeh also threatened the US, its embassies and military bases in the region.

He implied that the Iranian general would be more dangerous to the US dead than alive.

“You’ll taste this reality that martyr Qassem Suleimani is more dangerous than Haj Qassem Suleimani," Mr Hamzeh said.

Earlier reports during the funeral of Suleimani suggested that an unidentified speaker called for a bounty to be placed on Mr Trump’s head.

“We are 80 million Iranians,” the man was quoted as saying. “If each one of us puts aside US$1, we will have $80m and we will reward anyone who brings us his head with that amount.”

There was no indication that the speaker was in any way connected with the regime.

A US envoy, Robert Wood, on Tuesday in Geneva called Mr Hamzeh’s offer of $3m “ridiculous” and said it pointed to the “terrorist underpinnings” of the Iranian government.