Protest by the Non-Aligned Movement Against U.S. Court Ruling on Iran

Following a court ruling to seize two billion dollars of Iran's assets in the U.S., the Non-Aligned Movement condemned this action in a statement on Thursday, May 5, accusing the U.S. Supreme Court of violating international laws. According to the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, Iran's representative to the United Nations submitted this statement, which has 120 members and is currently chaired by Iran, to the organization on the same day. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on April 20 of this year that two billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets in the country should be paid to the families of American victims of several terrorist operations linked to Tehran. Among these terrorist operations are the bombings in 1983 at the U.S. Marine Corps and French soldiers' headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, which are said to have Iranian involvement. Following this ruling, several senior officials in the Islamic Republic expressed their objections, describing it as illegal and even 'theft.' Among these officials was Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, who protested the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling regarding compensation to the families of 'terrorist' incident victims in a letter to Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General. Now, the Non-Aligned Movement, which is currently under Iran's rotating presidency, has also issued a statement protesting the U.S. court ruling. As reported by IRNA, this statement describes the Supreme Court's ruling as a 'violation' that 'could lead to instability and chaos in international relations and undermine the rule of law.' IRNA also reports that Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran's permanent representative to the UN, requested in a letter to the Secretary-General that the Non-Aligned Movement's statement be published as a document in the General Assembly and the Security Council. The Associated Press reported that a UN spokesperson stated that the organization is 'reviewing' this letter. Iran's objection to the court ruling in the U.S. continues while Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, noted in an interview that lawyers for Iran's Central Bank participated in the higher courts, indicating that the Islamic Republic recognized the jurisdiction of the U.S. court. However, Mr. Araghchi's point has not yet received a reaction from the officials of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government. Iranian lawyers could not enter U.S. courts without the order and permission of the head and secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who at that time were Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Saeed Jalili. In this context, Zarif's letter to Ban Ki-moon protesting the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling stated that the UN's involvement in the asset issue 'is subject to U.S. approval.' The U.S. rejected the UN's mediation in the two billion dollar case.