In a recent development, a Tehran court has ruled that the United States government must pay nearly $50 billion in damages for the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
The Herald gathered that Soleimani was killed in a drone strike near Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020, following an order by then-US President Donald Trump.
The court’s decision comes after a lawsuit was filed by over 3,300 Iranians, seeking “material, moral, and punitive damages.”
The ruling found 42 individuals and legal entities guilty, including Trump, the US government, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
Soleimani, who commanded the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was a revered figure in Iran.
In retaliation for his assassination, Iran launched missiles at bases in Iraq housing American and coalition troops.
This is not the first time Iranian courts have issued compensation rulings against the United States.
Last month, an Iranian court ordered the US government to pay $420 million to victims of a 1980 hostage rescue operation, and in August, a Tehran court demanded $330 million for an alleged coup attempt in 1980.
These legal actions follow previous multi-billion-dollar compensation rulings by US courts against Iran for attacks Washington attributed to Tehran.
The two nations have had no diplomatic relations since the aftermath of the 1979 revolution.
In 2016, the United States Supreme Court mandated the release of Iranian assets frozen within the US to compensate victims of attacks attributed by Washington to Tehran.
These attacks include the 1983 bombing of a US Marine barracks in Beirut and a 1996 explosion in Saudi Arabia.
Tehran has consistently denied any involvement in these attacks.
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