Official Protest by Iran's Foreign Ministry Against Court Ruling in the U.S.

On Tuesday, April 26, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Swiss ambassador, who acts as the U.S. interests protector in Tehran, to officially express its protest against court rulings against Iran in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on April 20 to seize two billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets in the country to compensate the families of American victims of the 1983 bombings and other attacks 'related to Iran.' The U.S. claims that Iran played a role in the 1983 bombing of a U.S. military base in Beirut. In this context, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), the Swiss ambassador was called to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday to be informed of Iran's official protest. The director-general of the U.S. department at the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the Supreme Court's ruling regarding compensation from Iran's assets as a 'clear and blatant violation' of bilateral commitments between the two countries and a violation of 'Iran's judicial immunity.' Previously, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, had also strongly protested this ruling on Monday. Zarif described the seizure of two billion dollars of the Islamic Republic's assets in the U.S. as an action 'against international law' and a kind of 'theft of Iran's property,' stating that Tehran does not recognize the U.S. court's ruling in this regard and has formed a 'special committee' in response. The director-general for American affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry also called the New York local court's ruling accusing Tehran of involvement in the September 11 terrorist attacks 'ridiculous.' According to this official, there is 'no evidence' of the Islamic Republic or Iranian nationals' involvement in the September 11 incident, and 'these claims' are absurd and contrary to accepted international legal practices.