Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Iran Asks UN's Highest Court to Suspend US Sanctions
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
August 27, 2018

Share

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Iran warned Monday that re-imposed U.S. sanctions would cripple its economy and plunge the volatile Middle East deeper into crisis as it urged the United Nations’ highest court to suspend the Trump administration’s economic pressure on Tehran.

“We will continue to work with our allies to counter the Iranian regime’s destabilizing activities in the region, block their financing of terror, and address Iran’s proliferation of ballistic missiles and other advanced weapons systems that threaten international peace and stability.” — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
In a written statement about the case at the International Court of Justice, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Iran’s claims “meritless” and defended the sanctions as a way of keeping Americans safe.
The world court’s wood-paneled Great Hall of Justice in The Hague is the latest backdrop for Washington and Tehran’s high-stakes dispute about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
President Donald Trump said in May that he would pull the U.S. out of a 2015 agreement over Iran’s nuclear program and would re-impose sanctions on Tehran. Washington also threatened other countries with sanctions if they don’t cut off Iranian oil imports by early November.
Iran filed a case with the court in July challenging the re-imposition. Tehran alleges that the sanctions breach a 1955 bilateral agreement known as the Treaty of Amity that regulates and promotes economic and consular ties between the two countries.
The treaty was signed when the U.S. and Iran were still allies following the 1953 revolution — fomented by Britain and the U.S. — that ultimately cemented the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
However, diplomatic relations were severed following the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran and takeover of the U.S. Embassy and ensuing hostage crisis. Despite that dramatic deterioration in relations, the treaty remains in force.

A History of Litigation at the International Court of Justice

Iran and the U.S. have a history of litigation at the International Court of Justice, in cases covering crises including the embassy seizure and the shooting down of an Iranian passenger jet mistaken by a U.S. warship for a fighter jet.
Rulings by the world court, which settles disputes between nations, are final and legally binding. However, it remains to be seen if the U.S. would abide by a court order to suspend sanctions on Iran.
At Monday’s hearings, Tehran asked judges to urgently order a suspension of the sanctions while the case challenging their legality is being heard — a process that can take years. A decision on the urgent request for a suspension is likely to take weeks.
Iranian representative Mohsen Mohebi told the court the U.S. sanctions are a clear breach of the 1955 treaty because they are “intended to damage, as severely as possible, Iran’s economy.” He called Trump’s sanctions policy “nothing but a naked economic aggression against my country.”
Mohebi also warned that the sanctions could exacerbate regional tensions.
His comments came a day after Iran’s defense minister said his country will continue its support of the Syrian government to ensure improved security in the region. Israel has expressed concern over Iran’s growing influence in Syria, accusing Tehran of seeking to establish a foothold near the frontier with the Jewish state. The United States has been pressing for Iran to withdraw its fighters from Syria.

Iran’s 2015 Nuclear Deal

Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, brokered when Barack Obama was still in the White House, imposed restrictions on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of most U.S. and international sanctions against Tehran.
However, the deal came with time limits and did not address Iran’s ballistic missile program or its regional policies in Syria and elsewhere. Trump called the accord the “worst deal ever.”
Some U.S. allies oppose the sanctions and are seeking to keep the nuclear deal alive. Last week, the European Union announced a financial support package to help bolster Iran’s flagging economy.
Pompeo called the world court challenge an attempt by Tehran “to interfere with the sovereign rights of the United States to take lawful actions, including re-imposition of sanctions, which are necessary to protect our national security.”
The United States, which argues that the court does not have jurisdiction in the case, is to present its legal arguments to judges on Tuesday.
Pompeo said lawyers would “vigorously defend” the U.S. and “and we will continue to work with our allies to counter the Iranian regime’s destabilizing activities in the region, block their financing of terror, and address Iran’s proliferation of ballistic missiles and other advanced weapons systems that threaten international peace and stability. We will also ensure Iran has no path to a nuclear weapon — not now, not ever.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Clovis Memorial Run Brings the Community Together, Supports Senior Programs

DON'T MISS

Attorney Error Lowers Fees in Fresno Measure P Case

DON'T MISS

Trump Gives Commencement Address at West Point, Stressing a New Era

DON'T MISS

9 of a Doctor’s 10 Children Are Killed in Israel’s Latest Strikes in Gaza

DON'T MISS

Daisy Can’t See or Hear, but She Knows How to Love

DON'T MISS

How to Travel Without a Phone

DON'T MISS

Chukchansi Casino Hosts Job Fair to Fill 80 Food and Beverage Positions

DON'T MISS

California’s High Living Costs and Rampant Poverty Sharpen Its Economic Divide

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Killed in Head-On Collision Identified

DON'T MISS

California Allocates $56 Million to Combat Youth Homelessness

UP NEXT

Let the Hunt for Fresno County Fruit Trail Delights Begin!

UP NEXT

18 Injured in Knife Attack in Hamburg, Report Says

UP NEXT

Justice Department Reaches Deal to Allow Boeing to Avoid Prosecution Over 737 Max Crashes

UP NEXT

Clovis Church’s ‘Giving Truck’ Offers Free Coffee With a Twist

UP NEXT

Low-Income Compton Students Get $225M State-of-the-Art High School Campus

UP NEXT

Everyone Now Has an Opinion on Jake Tapper

UP NEXT

Braves Star Ronald Acuña Jr. to Return Friday From Left Knee Injury

UP NEXT

At Least 60 People Killed by Israeli Strikes in Gaza as Israel Lets Minimal Aid In

UP NEXT

US and Iran Try to Bridge Chasm on Nuclear Enrichment

UP NEXT

Dave Shapiro, Groundbreaking Music Executive, Dies in San Diego Plane Crash at 42

9 of a Doctor’s 10 Children Are Killed in Israel’s Latest Strikes in Gaza

1 day ago

Daisy Can’t See or Hear, but She Knows How to Love

2 days ago

How to Travel Without a Phone

2 days ago

Chukchansi Casino Hosts Job Fair to Fill 80 Food and Beverage Positions

2 days ago

California’s High Living Costs and Rampant Poverty Sharpen Its Economic Divide

2 days ago

Fresno County Man Killed in Head-On Collision Identified

2 days ago

California Allocates $56 Million to Combat Youth Homelessness

2 days ago

Let the Hunt for Fresno County Fruit Trail Delights Begin!

2 days ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Southwest Shooting Through Valley Crime Stoppers’ Tip

2 days ago

18 Injured in Knife Attack in Hamburg, Report Says

2 days ago

Clovis Memorial Run Brings the Community Together, Supports Senior Programs

The annual Clovis Memorial Run brought runners and walkers to the new Clovis Senior Activity Center on May 24, featuring multiple races that...

1 day ago

1 day ago

Clovis Memorial Run Brings the Community Together, Supports Senior Programs

1 day ago

Attorney Error Lowers Fees in Fresno Measure P Case

1 day ago

Trump Gives Commencement Address at West Point, Stressing a New Era

1 day ago

9 of a Doctor’s 10 Children Are Killed in Israel’s Latest Strikes in Gaza

Blind and deaf, Daisy is a gentle senior pup who has blossomed in foster care and is now searching for a loving home. (Mell's Mutts)
2 days ago

Daisy Can’t See or Hear, but She Knows How to Love

2 days ago

How to Travel Without a Phone

2 days ago

Chukchansi Casino Hosts Job Fair to Fill 80 Food and Beverage Positions

California Wealth and Poverty
2 days ago

California’s High Living Costs and Rampant Poverty Sharpen Its Economic Divide

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend