BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:30 P.M.) – The legal team of the US appealed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Thursday, calling on it to reject Iran’s request to move Tehran’s case versus Washington over its frozen assets, to a merits hearing.
Daniel Bethlehem, a British lawyer representing the US, dismissed Iran’s plea to have US allegations of Tehran’s alleged complicity in various terrorist acts against US citizens, addressed in a merits hearing rather than a preliminary hearing.
“Iran’s argument that these issues are all for the merits is simply an attempt to maneuverer these proceedings to a merits hearing,” claimed Bethlehem.
Iran is currently facing off with the US at the ICJ over its assets in the States that were frozen over its alleged funding of terror attacks on US citizens. The assets are valued at $1.75 billion (€1.5 billion) and belong to its national bank (Bank Markazi).
In a separate case on October 3, the ICJ ordered the US to lift its sanctions on Iran concerning the export of “medicines and medical devices, food, [and] agricultural commodities” in addition to aviation parts based on the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic relations and Consular rights between the disputing parties.
The US government responded by announcing that it would be withdrawing from the Treaty of Amity as well as the optional protocol of the 1961 Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations which gives the ICJ jurisdiction over disputes arising from the convention.
Video credit: Ruptly
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