The Hague tribunal says Iran can claim funds frozen by the US.

247, with AFP - The International Court of Justice (ICJ), based in The Hague, ruled on Wednesday (13) that Iran has the right to claim billions of dollars blocked by the United States. Washington wants to deliver these sums to the victims of the attacks it attributes to Tehran. The judges decided that Tehran can proceed with its demand and rejected the arguments of the United States.

The United States argued that Iran had "dirty hands" because of its alleged ties to terrorist organizations and that, moreover, the ICJ, being based in The Hague, had no jurisdiction over the case.

However, the court considered that it has full powers to rule on this matter, a sensitive case that could reignite tensions between Washington and Tehran, which have had no relations since 1980.

During the plenary sessions, the dates of which have not yet been set, the ICJ will examine the central question of whether Iran can effectively recover the $2 billion frozen by Washington's decision.

"The United States will continue to resolutely defend the victims of terrorism and resist Iran's efforts to prevent their legal redress," the U.S. State Department said in a statement. While expressing disagreement with the court's decision, it considered that, fundamentally, the court had "rejected Iran's main arguments" and even mentioned a "significant victory for the United States."

Iran had already initiated this procedure before the ICJ against the United States in June 2016 to obtain the release of funds, which was authorized by the United States Supreme Court in April of that year.

These funds correspond to securities in which the Central Bank of Iran had invested.

However, American courts have ruled to freeze the funds to compensate citizens of the country who were victims of terrorist attacks – an argument strongly contested by Tehran.

The sums were requested by approximately one thousand victims and family members of victims of attacks carried out or supported by Tehran, according to the US Justice Department.

Among these victims are relatives of 241 American soldiers murdered on October 23, 1983, in two suicide bombings against American and French troops of the multinational security force in Beirut.

In its complaint, the Iranian government asserts that Washington violated a bilateral treaty signed in 1955 by the Shah of Iran and the US government regarding economic relations and consular rights.

Last October, in another case, ICJ judges ordered Washington to end sanctions against Iran that affect goods used "for humanitarian purposes," a setback for the United States, which withdrew from the Iranian nuclear agreement in May.

Shortly after the Court's announcement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States would terminate the 1955 Treaty of Friendship, which the Court had cited to justify its decision.

On Monday (11), Iran vowed to thwart the "demonic plans of its enemies", mainly the US and Israel, on the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

The 1955 friendship treaty is Tehran's main argument in its attempt to recover assets frozen by Washington.

The ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the UN, was created after the Second World War to resolve disputes between member states. Its decisions are legally binding and cannot be appealed. However, the Court has no means of enforcing them.