There are moments when a regime strips away the last pretence of civilization and reveals itself for what it truly is. Iran’s latest announcement is one such moment. On August 16, Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Major General Amir Hatami announced a $30,000 bounty for anyone who kills or captures a US soldier and hands him over to the Iranian authorities. In a grotesque embellishment, Hatami said the reward would be doubled if the perpetrator were an Iranian woman. The regime even offered to purchase the weapon used in the killing and place it in a museum. The announcement has been widely reported, including by The Times.

This is hardly the language of a responsible government. It is the language of a gangster organization. Imagine the reaction if a Western government offered money to criminals for the kidnapping or murder of foreign soldiers. There would be universal condemnation, diplomatic expulsions and demands for accountability. Yet Tehran apparently believes it can place a price on the heads of American servicemen while still expecting the privileges of international diplomacy. The Iranian regime has spent decades perfecting this peculiar form of statecraft: threaten directly, attack indirectly, employ proxies, hire criminals, take hostages and then sit down at the negotiating table demanding concessions.

The bounty is merely the latest manifestation. Iran has constructed a vast network of armed proxies across the Middle East. Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, together with numerous Shi’ite militias in Iraq and Syria, have received Iranian weapons, financing, training or logistical support. The US Congressional Research Service has documented the breadth of this network, while US counterterrorism........

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