The Hague Court to Address Iran's Complaint After Rejecting US Objection

The International Court of Justice in The Hague announced on Wednesday, February 13, that it will address Iran's complaint regarding the seizure of its assets by the United States, rejecting Washington's objection. Reuters reports that this ruling is likely to escalate tensions between this judicial body and Washington, tensions that began following the court's ruling in favor of Iran. In its complaint, Iran stated that the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against the Islamic Republic violate the 1955 Treaty of Amity between the two countries. Meanwhile, reports indicate that the court ruled by a majority that the US objection regarding the inadmissibility of Iran's claims and the court's jurisdiction is unfounded. Based on this ruling, Iran's complaint against the US moves from the procedural stage to the substantive examination stage. Iran's complaint against the US relates to a 2012 ruling by the Columbia District Court in the "Peterson and Others" case, which condemned Tehran to pay $2.65 billion in damages to the survivors of American forces killed in the 1983 Beirut bombing. Last June, Tehran brought a case against Washington to the Hague court. The Islamic Republic claims that the United States has violated the "Treaty of Friendship" established in 1955 by reinstating its sanctions against Iran. This complaint was met with a reaction from US officials. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, described Tehran's action as an "abuse" of the Hague court and stated that Iran's complaint is an attempt to undermine the US's sovereign right to take legally based actions, including the re-imposition of sanctions deemed necessary for national security. Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran, known as the JCPOA, last spring and reinstated sanctions against Iran in two phases. Trump claims that the JCPOA is one of the worst agreements he has seen, arguing that it does not prevent Iran's nuclear program in the long term, that ballistic missile development in Iran continues, and that Iran has intensified its "destructive" activities in the region. The Islamic Republic, while rejecting accusations regarding the development of nuclear weapons and interference in other countries, asserts that its missile program is defensive and that it will not negotiate on this matter. Regardless, the process of examining Iran's complaint in The Hague has begun, and ultimately, on October 3, the court issued a temporary ruling stating that the United States must ensure that its unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic do not negatively affect essential goods or the safety of passenger flights. International observers described the court's ruling as a "victory" for Tehran in the case. A few days later, it was reported that the United States requested the International Court of Justice to dismiss Iran's legal case regarding blocked assets related to the bombing of the US Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut in 1983 and the 1996 explosion at the US military base in Khobar, Saudi Arabia.