Iran’s judiciary has issued a $312.9 million judgment against the United States over the 2017 terrorist attack in Tehran, which killed 12 people and injured dozens more. The ruling, which was announced on Tuesday by Iran’s Supreme Court, marks the latest escalation in the ongoing tensions between the two nations.
The attack, which took place on June 7, 2017, targeted Iran’s parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. The attackers, who were armed with guns and suicide bombs, killed 12 people and injured more than 40 others before being killed by security forces.
Iran has long accused the United States and its allies of supporting terrorist groups in the region, including the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the 2017 attack. The U.S. government has denied any involvement in the attack, and has accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism itself.
The judgment against the United States was issued by a Tehran court, and includes compensation for the families of the victims, as well as punitive damages. The judgment is unlikely to be enforced, however, as Iran and the United States do not have diplomatic relations, and there are no mechanisms in place for the enforcement of judgments between the two countries.
The ruling has been met with condemnation from the U.S. government, which has accused Iran of using the judgment for political purposes. “This is a political stunt aimed at distracting attention from the Iranian regime’s abysmal human rights record at home and its destabilizing behavior abroad,” said a State Department spokesperson.
The spokesperson also criticized the Iranian government for its treatment of its own citizens, including the recent crackdown on protesters following the disputed presidential election. “We call on the Iranian government to respect the rights of its citizens and to engage in constructive dialogue with the international community,” the spokesperson said.
The judgment is also likely to further strain relations between the two countries, which have been deteriorating since the Trump administration withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and imposed a series of economic sanctions on Iran. The Biden administration has sought to revive the nuclear deal, but talks have been stalled since June.
The Iranian government has not yet commented on the judgment, but it is likely to be seen as a victory by hardliners in the country who are opposed to any rapprochement with the United States. Iran is also facing economic pressures due to the sanctions, which have led to a devaluation of the country’s currency and rising inflation.
The judgment against the United States is just the latest in a series of legal actions taken by Iran against the United States and its allies. In 2016, Iran won a $2 billion judgment against the U.S. government over the seizure of Iranian assets in the United States. The judgment was later overturned by a U.S. court.
In 2020, a U.S. court ordered Iran to pay more than $1.4 billion in damages to the families of victims of the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. Iran has denied involvement in the attack, which was carried out by the militant group Hezbollah.
The ongoing legal battles between Iran and the United States highlight the deep-seated mistrust between the two nations, which has been fueled by decades of political and military tensions. Despite the latest judgment, it is unlikely that there will be any meaningful resolution to these tensions in the near future.
By: Muskan kumari, BBA LL.B. 4th year from THE ICFAI UNIVERSIT, RANCHII, JHARKHAND
