Iran orders US to pay $312.9 million in damages for Daesh/ISIS attacks

TEHRAN, Iran

A court in Tehran on Wednesday ruled that the US must pay $312.9 million in damages to the families of victims of Daesh/ISIS attacks in 2017 that killed at least 17 people.

In a statement, the Iranian judiciary's international affairs and human rights department said the ruling was made in response to complaints filed by the families of three victims.

The twin attacks on June 7, 2017, targeted Iran’s parliament building in central Tehran and the mausoleum of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini south of Tehran.

Separate teams of armed assailants used gunfire and explosives to target the two iconic buildings in the Iranian capital, leaving at least 17 dead and 50 others injured.

The Daesh/ISIS terrorist group claimed responsibility for the twin attacks, one of the deadliest in Iran since the 1979 revolution.

The Iranian statement named nine American officials and institutions that must pay compensations to the families of the victims.

As per the ruling, $9.95 million ought to be paid in financial damages and $104 million and $199 million respectively for moral and punitive damages, totaling $312.9 million.

Those named in the verdict include the US government, former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, US Central Command (CENTCOM), former CENTCOM commander Tommy Franks, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Lockheed Martin and American Airlines Group.

The ruling blamed the US for the "fundamental role" it played in "organizing and guiding terrorist groups", news published in American media as well as books and speeches by American officials, referring to the CIA role in "creating terrorist groups", including Daesh/ISIS.

According to the statement, the verdict came in response to several orders issued by US courts blaming Tehran for "terrorist" attacks and seizure of Iranian assets.

The court verdict comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the nuclear deal standoff as well as Iran's growing ties with Russia and China.