Approval of Counteraction Plan Against Seizure of Iranian Assets in the U.S.

On Tuesday, Iranian lawmakers approved a plan that, pending confirmation by the Guardian Council, obligates the government to take "counteraction" against the seizure of Iranian assets in the U.S. and in third countries, and to report on actions taken to the parliament every six months. According to the state news agency IRNA, the details of the plan "Obligation of the Government to Pursue Damages from the U.S. Against Iran" were approved in an open session of parliament on Tuesday, May 17. The parliament's resolution requires the government to "take all necessary legal actions" as part of the counteraction against the seizure of Iranian assets in the U.S. The lawmakers also mandated the Iranian government to "pursue" U.S. assets in third countries. According to this resolution, "in cases where courts in third countries recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against Iran, the government is obliged to take appropriate countermeasures to recognize and enforce judgments of Iranian courts in those countries or others as applicable." The 1953 coup, the Nojeh coup, the Iran-Iraq war, and the attack on Iranian oil platforms during the war are among the instances where these lawmakers have accused the U.S. of involvement and demanded compensation from the country. The reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to seize $2 billion of Iranian assets in the U.S. was cited as one of the reasons for the approval of this plan. Meanwhile, Ibrahim Karkhani, a representative from Hamadan and one of the designers of this plan, stated in the parliament session that "U.S. courts have issued $46 billion in judgments against the Islamic Republic of Iran in coordination with the government and Congress in the U.S. judiciary, with ongoing cases amounting to $80 billion." In contrast, Hassan Qashqavi, the Deputy Consular Minister of Foreign Affairs, called for more careful consideration from lawmakers regarding this plan and noted that Iranian courts have issued judgments for the seizure of U.S. assets amounting to $50 billion. Mr. Qashqavi did not mention whether these judgments have been executed. Reports indicate that none of these judgments have been enforced. Prior to the approval of the generalities of this plan, some analysts had stated that after the seizure of U.S. assets in Iran in the early years of the revolution, the U.S. has no assets in Iran that are subject to seizure. Meanwhile, Hamid Rasai, a representative from Tehran, suggested during the review of this plan that U.S. ships and assets passing through the Strait of Hormuz be seized to implement this plan. The parliament members did not vote in favor of this suggestion, and Majid Ansari, the parliamentary deputy of the Iranian president, called this suggestion "against national interests." The issue of the seizure of $2 billion of Iranian assets has been a point of contention between the government and conservatives in the country in recent weeks. Following reports about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, some conservative figures and close associates of the Supreme Leader, including Mohammad Reza Naqdi, head of the Basij Organization, and Mohammad Nabi Habibi, Secretary-General of the Motalefeh Party, criticized what they called the "optimism" of President Hassan Rouhani's government towards the U.S. In contrast, the government's special task force for reviewing the seizure of $2 billion of Iranian assets on Monday accused officials of the previous government of failing to remove these assets from the U.S. "despite warnings from foreign sources and relevant domestic centers" and called for the judiciary to address "any negligence, violation, or waste of opportunities" in this regard. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's office previously attributed the seizure of this $2 billion to the "weakness" of Hassan Rouhani's government in international affairs and the "audacity" of American officials without denying the purchase of these bonds during his administration.