The United States Withdraws from the 'Treaty of Amity' with Iran

On Wednesday, October 3, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the United States' withdrawal from the 'Treaty of Amity' between the U.S. and Iran. He stated that 'Iran has used the Treaty of Amity as a tool to attack the United States,' and declared, 'Today I announce that the United States has nullified the Treaty of Amity with Iran.' The treaty, formally known as the 'Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights,' was signed on August 14, 1955, in Tehran between the United States and the Imperial Government of Iran. Article 23, Section 3 of this treaty allows either party to terminate it with 'one year's written notice.' The U.S. decision to withdraw from this treaty comes just hours after a ruling from the International Court of Justice in The Hague in favor of Iran. The court issued a provisional 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. In its complaint to the International Court of Justice, the Islamic Republic accused the Trump administration of violating the Treaty of Amity by withdrawing from the nuclear agreement with Tehran and six world powers. In his remarks on Wednesday, Pompeo accused Iran of misusing the Hague court for its political and propaganda purposes. He stated that Iran brought a 'meritless case' to the International Court of Justice in July, claiming that the United States violated the Treaty of Amity between the two countries. 'We were frustrated that the court could not rule that it has no jurisdiction over U.S. sanctions, as U.S. actions regarding Iran are in line with protecting its vital security interests.' He dismissed the court's decision in favor of Tehran as 'illegitimate,' saying, 'Given Iran's history of supporting terrorism, ballistic missile activities, and other subversive activities, its recourse to the Treaty of Amity is absurd.' Pompeo also emphasized that today's ruling is 'a defeat for Iran,' as the court rejected all of Iran's baseless requests. He reiterated that 'our exceptions and licenses for humanitarian exchanges and flight safety remain intact. The decisions made today in Iran to spend money are dollars that Iranian leaders waste to fuel terrorism worldwide.' The Secretary of State expressed hope that Iranian leaders would realize that the only way to secure their people's future is to abandon their campaign of terror and destruction around the world. Pompeo stated that Iran has violated the Treaty of Amity for years and added that it should have been terminated 39 years ago, apparently referring to the time of the hostage crisis involving U.S. diplomats by forces known as 'followers of the Imam' at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, which occurred on November 4, 1979. During the attack on the U.S. embassy in Iran, 52 American diplomats were taken hostage and held for 444 days. This attack severed relations between Tehran and Washington and led to decades of hostility between the two countries. This event, which effectively nullified the 'Treaty of Amity' between Iran and the U.S., was the first instance in which the two countries referred to the treaty in the Hague court. During the hostage crisis, the U.S. filed a complaint against Iran in the International Court of Justice based on Article 4 of the 1955 Treaty of Amity and the consular rights mentioned therein, and the court ruled in favor of the U.S., demanding the immediate release of the hostages. Over the following decade, Iran also filed two lawsuits against the U.S. in the Hague court based on this treaty. The first was after the attack on an Iranian passenger plane over the Persian Gulf, which resulted in the deaths of 290 passengers, and the second in 1992 due to U.S. attacks on Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf. In another part of his remarks, Pompeo accused Iran of being a 'source of threat' against Americans in Iraq. He stated, 'Our information in this regard is credible. We see the hand of Ayatollah (Khamenei) and his followers supporting these attacks against the United States.' Last Friday, the U.S. announced that it closed its consulate in Basra and evacuated its diplomatic personnel from the southern Iraqi city due to threats from Iran and its allied Shiite militia groups.