The United States has offered a reward of as much as $20 million for information about Iran's nuclear programme, including its facilities, its equipment and the people who work on it.

The offer comes through the State Department's Rewards for Justice scheme, which also raised the possibility of relocating anyone who comes forward. Officials said Iran's failure to meet its safeguards obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency had left inspectors unable to keep continuous track of how many centrifuges Iran makes and holds. Centrifuges enrich uranium, which can fuel power reactors or, at very high purity, a weapon. Tehran says its programme is purely peaceful.

At the same time, US Central Command announced a new unit, Task Force Iron Gate, based in Tampa, Florida. It will work with other agencies to curb the movement of weapons and sanctioned goods across Iran's borders, and to target dual use trade and illicit income. The military says its naval blockade of Iranian ports has already stopped more than $25 billion of crude exports.

The moves follow weeks of speculation that heavier strikes could resume after the midterm elections. Before the vote, President Donald Trump said he was in no hurry, but also suggested in a television interview that the US might need to hit Pickaxe Mountain, an underground site tied to the nuclear effort, describing it as a quick job.

Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance have since linked public opposition to the war with their party's heavy losses, prompting talk that the White House may avoid escalation. On Friday Trump said Iran was desperate for a deal to end the eight month conflict.

Qatar, which is mediating, says both sides are studying its proposals. A preliminary deal in June to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz collapsed within weeks when attacks on shipping resumed.