Iran sues U.S. to recover $2 billion worth of frozen assets

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A view of the damage to the U.S. Embassy after the bombing. April 1983. Iran and Its proxy Hezbollah were accused of being behind the bombing that killed 63 people, mostly embassy staff members and several soldiers. The top U.S. court ruled that $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets must be paid to American victims of attacks blamed on Tehran.
A view of the damage to the U.S. Embassy after the bombing. April 1983. Iran and Its proxy Hezbollah were accused of being behind the bombing that killed 63 people, mostly embassy staff members and several soldiers. The top U.S. court ruled that $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets must be paid to American victims of attacks blamed on Tehran.

Iran has filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice to recover $2 billion worth of frozen assets the U.S. Supreme Court awarded to victims of a 1983 bombing in Lebanon and other attacks linked to Iran.

In remarks broadcast Wednesday on state TV, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the claim had been filed the day before.

The Supreme Court ruling, issued in April, directly affects more than 1,300 relatives of victims, some who have been seeking compensation for more than 30 years. They include families of the 241 U.S. service members who died in the Beirut bombing.

Iran has denied any role in the attacks and rejected the court ruling, saying it amounted to theft.

The ICJ, a U.N. body that adjudicates disputes between states, confirmed that Iran had initiated proceedings based on a 1955 Treaty of Amity with the United States.

It was not immediately clear whether the ICJ would have jurisdiction over the case.

The Associated Press

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