Iran lodges International Court of Justice complaint over US sanctions
Iran has filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after the United States’ reimposition of sanctions, the country’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
The complaint comes as a response to Washington’s decision in May to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions on Iran, a move which Iran argued is in violation of international obligations, including the 1955 US-Iran Treaty of Amity.
This agreement was signed well before Iran’s 1979 revolution but is still being invoked in ongoing legal battles.
Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter: “Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy and legal obligations. It’s imperative to counter its habit of violating (international) law.”
The two countries have not had diplomatic relations since US embassy staff were held hostage in 1980.
Under Washington’s current proposals, Iran will be slapped with two phases of sanctions in August and November that seek to prevent Iran from selling oil or doing business with foreign companies.
The EU is understood to be debating measures which would allow Iranian banking transactions to continue after the sanctions return.
Austrian ambassador Stefan Scholz, whose country currently holds the presidency of the European Union, said: “We are all in this together, since the EU is facing a net loss of €10bn in lost trade with Iran next year.”
The ICJ is already set to hear a separate Iranian complaint against the US on 8 October, stemming from the US’ freezing of $2bn worth of Iranian assets held on foreign soil.