Iran moves Qassem Soleimani assassination file, imposes fine on Washington
An Iranian court has convicted 42 individuals and a U.S. entity, including Donald Trump and officials from his administration, in the case of the assassination of the commander of the Quds Force. The court is demanding compensation of around 50 billion dollars from Washington
An Iranian court has ruled that Washington must pay approximately $50 billion in compensation for the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, in a 2020 U.S. airstrike in Iraq, as announced by the judiciary on Wednesday.
The judgment comes nearly four years after the assassination of Soleimani, who was considered the mastermind behind Iran’s subversive activities. He was killed by a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad Airport on January 3, 2020, during the tenure of former President Donald Trump.
Trump confirmed at the time that he ordered the strike, stating that Soleimani was planning “imminent” attacks against U.S. diplomats and military personnel.
In response, Tehran carried out missile strikes on two bases in Iraq, where U.S. soldiers were stationed. Since then, Iran has consistently called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the neighboring country.
The judiciary authority’s affiliated website, “Mizan Online,” reported that “after a complaint filed by 3,318 citizens nationwide, the Legal Court for International Relations at its 55th branch in Tehran ruled against the U.S. administration and government officials, including Donald Trump, ordering them to pay compensation and fines for material and moral damages related to the assassination crime, totaling $49.77 billion.”
In this case, the court convicted 42 individuals and an American entity, including Donald Trump and officials in his administration. This judgment comes at a time when Tehran accuses Washington of “collusion in crimes” committed by Israel in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Meanwhile, the United States holds Iran, the supporter of hamas , responsible for attacks carried out by groups supported by Iran against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria.
Soleimani, aged sixty-two at the time of his death, played a significant role in strengthening Iran’s influence in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria. The Quds Force, affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, dominated the management of Iraq’s affairs for a long time, while General Soleimani held significant influence over Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.
In late October, an Iranian court fined the U.S. government $420 million as compensation for the victims of a failed operation in 1980 to release hostages at the U.S. Embassy, according to the judiciary authority.
Shortly after the Islamic Revolution ousted the Western-backed Shah in 1979, Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding over 50 Americans hostage for 444 days, demanding the extradition of the Shah, who was receiving medical treatment in the United States.
In April 1980, the U.S. attempted to rescue the hostages in an extremely secretive operation known as “Operation Eagle Claw,” which ended catastrophically due to sandstorms and technical issues in the Iranian desert near Tabas. Five months after the hostage crisis, Washington severed diplomatic ties with Tehran and imposed sanctions.
In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that frozen Iranian assets in the United States should be used to pay compensation to victims of attacks attributed by Washington to Tehran, including the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 and a bombing in Saudi Arabia in 1996.
