Iran denounces US court ruling on blocked assets

Iran on Friday denounced the recent US Supreme Court ruling which allows the families of American victims of terrorist attacks to recover damages from Iran's frozen assets in the US banks.

The US court on Thursday ruled the transfer of nearly $2 billion to the American victims of terrorist attacks, including the 1983 truck bombing of a Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Xinhua news agency reported.

Investigators of the court concluded that Iran was responsible for that attack, which Tehran has denied.

"The US government knows well that we do not recognise this ruling," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif said.

"Every measure against Iran's assets should be compensated and they should return Iran's (frozen) assets later," Zarif said.

Iranian foreign ministry said the "US court ruling has mocked (international) law", and "amounts to appropriation of Iran's property in the US".

The assets belong to the Central Bank of Iran, which have been blocked under US sanctions.

--IANS

py/bg