US urges ICJ to dismiss Iranian $2 billion frozen asset appeal

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Sep 2022 22:41
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As Iran appeals to the ICJ to retrieve $2 billion worth of assets stolen by the US, the latter exerts pressure to make sure that the case is dismissed.

Head of the US legal team at the International Court of Justice Richard Visek (UN Photo)

The US urged the International Court of Justice on Wednesday to dismiss a case launched by Iran, earlier on Monday, seeking to reclaim around $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets.

Richard Visek, the head of the US legal team, requested the UN court invoke the legal principle known as "unclean hands", which prohibits a country from launching a lawsuit because of its own unlawful activities connected to the case, even if they are trumped-up as in the case of Iran.

Addressing judges sitting in the court's Great Hall of Justice, Visek said that “Iran’s case should be dismissed in its entirety based on the principle of unclean hands," as per US unfounded claims.

It is worth noting that although Visek admitted that an 'unclean hands' defense has never been used as a reason for the Hague-based court to throw out a case, he claimed that it has been successfully cited in international arbitration cases.

It is probable that judges will take several months to issue a ruling in this case especially given that the court's judgments are final and legally binding.

Iran appeals to the International Court of Justice

The Iranian appeal before the International Court of Justice comes as expectations of renewing a landmark agreement – from which former US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 – dwindle.

Tehran petitioned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2016 after the US Supreme Court ordered the freezing of $2 billion in Iranian assets over unfounded, trumped-up accusations.

Iran, on the other hand, argued that the freezing of assets violated the 1955 Treaty of Amity with the United States.

Tehran accuses the US of usurping Iranian financial assets and those of Iranian firms, and with Iran overburdened with economic difficulties as a result of sanctions and skyrocketing consumer costs, it is critical for the country to retrieve its financial rights.