Rouhani: People Will Learn of Past Officials' Negligence in the Two Billion Dollar Case

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, referred to the "negligence" of former officials of the Islamic Republic regarding the seizure of two billion dollars of the country's assets in the U.S., stating that Tehran is preparing to refer this case to an "international court." On Tuesday, May 21, he said, "We will not allow this money, which belongs to the Central Bank and the people of Iran, to easily be swallowed by the Americans." According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), the Islamic Republic's president also promised that the referral of this case to the international court would happen "soon." The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on April 20 of this year that two billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets in this country should be paid to the families of American victims of several terrorist operations linked to the Islamic Republic. Iran has strongly protested this ruling, stating that it does not recognize it and has promised to legally prevent its implementation. However, the U.S. government, defending the Supreme Court's ruling, announced that this ruling does not contradict international law. In Iran, Rouhani's government, in addition to criticizing the U.S., has alleged that the two billion dollars were purchased in the form of U.S. bonds during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, and therefore, officials from the previous government should be held accountable for this "negligence." Ahmadinejad's office has denied this accusation. On Tuesday, Rouhani also emphasized that his government "has to bear the burden of past mistakes." He added, "By mistake, two billion dollars of this people's money was placed in the hands of the Americans, and from 2007 to 2008, there was a golden opportunity of ten months to free this money from the Americans, but that did not happen, which raises questions, and a committee is currently investigating it and will report soon, and the people will learn of the negligence of the past officials."